Thankfulness

Over the course of the last month, I have found little time to dedicate to the Gun’s Quotes. Life has demanded from my time more than being able to author these like I’ve wanted to.

There was the horrifying sorrow of a former teenager in my youth group who violently took his life. There were the adult volunteers who riled in agony at his loss. The pain is still palpable.

There was the joy of my very best friend’s wedding. Ron and Anna were wed two weekends ago. The beauty of their ceremony is an accurate reflection of the purity of the two souls who joined at the altar. Their willingness to wait for one another all of this time exemplifies the love I want in my life. Brian, my roommate and his new Bride, Laura, wed this weekend. Their personal sacrifices for one another follow in the same light.

There were setbacks and then victories at work. You think you are on top of something only to discover the project isn’t going the way you thought it was. You find out at the inopportune moment when you boss asks you for something that you didn’t do because you didn’t think you needed to. Oops. Then, you also obtained a certification for career development that has been a long time coming. The same boss gives you a hi-five. (On the same day he ripped you a new one)

How does one react to so many varying experiences in such little time?

Gun’s Quote-of-the-Week:

“If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a warm place to sleep…you are richer than 75% of people in this world.

“If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, spare change in a dish some-place…you are among the top 8% of the wealthy.

“If you woke up this morning with more health than illness…you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week.

“If you have never experienced the dangers of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of physical starvation…you are ahead of 500 million people in the world.

“If you can attend a church or temple meeting without the fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death…you are more blessed than three billion people in the world. (HALF the world’s population)

“If your parents are still alive and still married you are very rare; representing 33% of the population in the United States!

“If you hold your head up high, with a smile on your face and are truly thankful…you are truly blessed because the majority can, but most do not.

“If you can, hold someone’s hand, hug them, or even touch them on the shoulder… because you can offer a healing touch. You have more than what most people in the world can imagine.

“If you can read this message you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world who cannot read at all.”

-Author Unkown

My conclusion is that the only way to approach this crazy roller coaster called “life” is with an attitude of thankfulness. I have been blessed to know this young man no longer with us. I have been blessed with the examples of Ron and Anna and Brian and Laura. I have been blessed with the lessons at work which have earned both a raised-voice and a hi-five.

None of these experiences have anything to do with one another. I am thankful for them all.

I invite you to be thankful for the everything that has happened in your life over the course of the last year, too.

Enjoy your time with your friends and families.

…and that’s why it’s a Gun’s Quote!