a moment to refocusonlife - giving thanks

Happy Friday Friends!

Lots of people on Facebook are posting the things they are thankful for each day of November. It's become an annual tradition. At first, I have to say, it annoyed me. Yep, seeing people give thanks every day for an entire month was driving me nuts. That was last year. 2012. Over the course of my life since that time, I guess I have softened because when I saw it start happening again this year I had about 10 seconds of thought, "oh here we go again", but then I thought, "wait a minute, this might be fun!"

Well, it turns out I was wrong. It annoyed me again. Seeing people be thankful for trivial things annoys me. I can't help it. So…fast forward to today, November 22, 2013. I've been watching this stuff for 22 days now. I have yet to post what I am thankful for but trust me, my list of "thankfuls" is probably too long to be able to list in a single post a day for 30 days.

Never has that been more evident than yesterday. I had the great privilege to be involved in the Burke County iCare tour with several members of the Universal team. It was a truly eye-opening experience for me. The iCare tour gave us the opportunity to see the different resources around the Morganton area that are available to the homeless population. We saw the homeless shelters, the battered women's shelter, the recovery programs, and several other ministries. We saw what a typical day for a homeless person might look like and I'm telling you, it ain't pretty.

Universal's Warehouse Team 11/21/2013

So, with that said, I AM VERY thankful for what I have. I couldn't possibly list everything I AM thankful for, but the most important list would go something like my children, my husband, my family, my friends, my job, my home and the fact that I was in a comfortable place while writing this blog looking out a window at a cold, rainy morning. What would my life be like if I was stuck on that street out there with no where to go during the day?

Did you know that Burke County has no day shelters? The shelters we saw yesterday are open from 4:30 pm until around 8 am each night. While it's nice that the homeless population has a place to sleep, do we not ALL think that they might need a place to stay during the day?

So, my advice to everyone is to take a minute and give thanks (you don't have to post it on Facebook) today. And, after you're done giving thanks, find out what YOU can do to help others. There are so many volunteer positions out there just needing a body to fill them that it's unbelievable. If you're as lucky in life as I am, you'll take a minute to refocusonlife and find a place that your skills can be used.

Last night, I had another great privilege and that was donating my time to ALFA. I'm humbled each time I get the opportunity to help. If you want to be humbled and thankful…take a minute and look around you at the people that aren't as fortunate. It'll surely open your eyes.

With all of that said, remember to take a minute to refocusonlife y'all. It might just open your mind, your soul, and your heart.

Peace.

oh, and PS--if you want to give back in the form of an Angel Tree--ALFA seriously needs your help. Text me, email me or call me and I'll let you know how.