It’s so easy to take things for granted. Children in particular get so much in the way of materialistic items, especially for birthdays and Christmas, that they don’t always appreciate how fortunate they are, particularly compared with children in poor countries who have virtually nothing.
As an “oldie”, being born in 1950, I well remember the frugal times and definitely not being overwhelmed with so many toys and other playthings which today’s children receive. What we did have in those days was real appreciation, knowing the value of them and being told how much our parents had had to scrimp and save to produce the relatively meagre offerings.
It seems to be the same in society generally. Although some people are experiencing dreadful financial problems due to the current cost of living crisis, since the 1960s we’ve had a massive increase in the standard of living for what used to be classed as working and middle class people. Unfortunately, much of this was based on large amounts of debt and recent austerity measures, on top of world problems affecting us all, means many people are having to come back down to earth to be more realistic in their lifestyles and purchases.
So what is gratitude? Maybe the quality of being truly thankful and readiness to show appreciation for any kindness shown. It’s focussing on what’s good in our lives and being thankful for all the things we have – whether large or small. It’s appreciating the things we often take for granted such as our home, food, heating, friends, family, etc. The list goes on!
I believe I’m very well blessed with all these things and thank God every night for everything that’s happened during the day, even using any bad occurrences as a learning experience and an opportunity to say I’m sorry for anything I believe I’ve done wrong. I also pray for people around the world who are suffering from natural disasters, wars, persecution, violence of any sort, poverty, hunger and so many other sufferings which people less fortunate than me endure.
Even the small things like people opening doors for me, small acts of kindness, people showing good manners, cars letting me go if there’s any sort of obstruction, a phone call or message from friends or family, enjoying time spent with our grandchildren, going to church, enjoying choir and other social activities – it can all easily be taken for granted if we don’t remind ourselves to be appreciative of everything we have.
When we compare our lives and standard of living with those in third-world countries, and even some parts of the UK, Europe, USA, etc., it reminds us of how lucky we are to live in a country where we can enjoy freedom of speech, a free National Health Service, education, loads of public services, democratic government and so many other benefits which make us one of the most envied countries in the world.
So when we’re having a moan about something going wrong or not being able to afford the latest gadget or other item we crave, let’s remind ourselves just how fortunate we are and count our blessings instead.
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