Move Over David Letterman

Top Ten Things I'm Grateful For Yet Take For Granted

10)  Email.  It's fast.  It's direct.  And it reminds me, on an hourly basis, just how dearly loved I am by online stores and spam-lovers.  Spam belongs in a can.

9)  Greg Fishel.  He's the WRAL meteorologist that keeps me informed as to the weather I can expect today and for the next seven days.  It's got to be tough trying to keep everybody happy. 

8)  Glasses.  Bi-focals to be exact.  Yeah, my granddaughter thinks they're a toy and she needs to pull them off to play with; they can get scratched and need cleaning every day; and I can't do anything without them except sleep.  BUT, without them I can't do anything except sleep! 

7)  Dust.  If we are "ashes to ashes and dust to dust" then somebody's living large scattered all over my house.  Dust reminds me I'm human so I keep plenty of it around.

6)  Grain-free dog food.  My indoor Black Lab-German Shepherd mix, Buddy, is allergic to the grainy kinds.  "Nuff said.

5)  The price of gas.  It's something we all complain about.  BUT, if I didn't have a car and places to go, I probably wouldn't care.  There are some things worth paying for because there are people worth seeing and places worth going.  Plus, the price of gas is a poignant reminder that I have a car and can get about.

4) Laundry and dishes (a tie).  My family has clothes to wear. And we have dishes to wash because we have food to eat.  But what is it about dirty clothes and dirty dishes that they multiply so fast?  One minute there are two cups by the sink and the next time I look there are ten.

3) Memory.  I don't know what my future holds, but right now I've got a good memory and memories.  There are people who don't.  The last memory I have of my great-grandmother is going, as a child, to see her in the nursing home.  She was in her bed, cuddling and talking to a doll, totally oblivious to the fact that she had company.  Even if she had realized we were there, she wouldn't have known who we were.  I was there with her granddaughter, my Mama.

2)  Hubby.  I admit it.  I take the person closest to me for granted.  I take for granted that he's always going to be here...or maybe I take for granted that I'm always going to be here.  I take for granted that he's always going to be healthy and I take for granted that we're going to always be pretty much like we are now.  Apparently I also take for granted that I live in an ideal world and that life will turn out like that because that's how I want it to be.

1) God.  Not too bad for Hubby to take second place to God!  Even though I'm a pastor and love God dearly and do my best to follow Christ, I take God and His blessings for granted.  I take for granted that He's got control over my life even when I merrily roll along my way.  When I mess up, I take for granted that He's going to work things out. 

I take much more than these people and things for granted.  Everything is a blessing in its own way.  Even bills.  They remind me what I have.  Even trash, for it too, reminds me of what I have.  Sickness reminds me of health; war reminds me of peace.  Death reminds me of life.

Blessings abound.

And I am grateful.