Be thankful

This Christmas I realised how much I have to be thankful for. Most of the time, as human beings, we dwell on the negative. We are always depressed and often feel there is no turning back, no hope and no help. But what we forget, and I am also guilty of this, is that there are always people in worse situations than us. On the night of Christmas Eve, my cousin’s son, who is about one-year-old, had a high fever and started to have fits. He was rushed to the hospital and, eventually, the doctors were able to determine what caused the fever and, subsequently, the fits. What is amazing, however, is how much one tiny person can change the lives of so many.

This child spent Christmas Day in the hospital. And while everyone would normally be up early, opening presents with much excitement, and my younger cousins would visit my house and my uncles to show off their new toys, none of this happened. Even at my house we had no enthusiasm. One person, who just entered this world about a year ago, was not present on Christmas Day and that spoilt Christmas for everyone. What I realised after, was that we (my family) should still be thankful — he was alive. We should be thankful that he screamed before he got into the fit, so his mother heard and was able to get help for him.

We should be thankful that he got to the hospital on time (since the San Fernando General is about an hour’s drive away from where we live). We should be thankful that my aunt who is a nurse was there and was able to help in ways that no one else could and most of all we should be thankful that the doctors were able to figure out what was wrong with him and were able to treat him. I have a freind who cannot walk properly that one of her legs is shorter than the other, and who has had about eight operations to try and remedy the condition. She visited me on Boxing Day. As I helped her down the steps when she was leaving, I realised that her condition was becoming worse, as was her pain. She said to me: “I don’t know when I will be able to walk like you.”

At that moment I felt sad for her and yet I felt guilty for being able to walk and I thanked God for my legs (although I complain about my bony calves all the time). It’s amazing how sometimes we take things like this for granted. Although you may not be able to walk properly Melissa, thank God for your strength, for the courage he has given you through all these years. Thank Him for your senses and most of all thank Him for your parents who have not and who will not give up on you. Another friend also paid me a visit. It was the first time he met my family and he sat in my living room extremely quiet. I was really bothered by his unusual silence and when I asked him what was wrong, he replied with a simple “nothing.” Later that night he told me that it was strange for him to see a family such as mine. Seeing a family together was something he was not used to.

At that moment I realised just how blessed I am to have such a wonderful family. At times we may have our disagreements (this is inevitable), but togetherness is something we have always had. Thank you God for my family and our unity. At the end of that day I was thankful for many things: my job, my friends, my health, my strength... I thank God for this Christmas and what I came to realise. It surely is a Christmas I will always remember for it taught me a life-long lesson. It taught me to be thankful for everything even if it seems to be bad, some good must come from it. Following is a poem written by Helen Steiner Rice in which she thanks God for some of the things we take for granted:

Thank You, GOD for everything I’ve experienced here on earth,
Thank You for protecting me from the moment of my birth.
And Thank You for the beauty  around me everywhere,
The gentle rain and glistening dew,  the sunshine and the air.
The joyous gift of “feeling” the soul’s soft, whispering voice,
That speaks to me from deep within and makes my heart rejoice.
Oh, GOD, no words are great enough to thank You for just living,
And that is why every day is a day for real Thanksgiving.