Be thankful in all circumstances

A cold shower is a powerful wake-up!

Recently, our hot-water heater stopped working. Located in the basement, it has always taken a little while for the hot water to reach the shower head or faucet in the kitchens and bathrooms, but this time, no matter how long we let it run, it came out cold.

It was quite a shock to one of my teen-age sons who had gotten in the shower and kept waiting for the water to get hot. He was shivering when he got out.

It's definitely uncomfortable. It's shocking. It's miserable, to be quite honest. But, it's a good reminder of the many blessings almost all of us here in America have. How many people in the word do not have running water, much less hot water at our disposal at the turn of a faucet handle?

How many blessings do we take for granted? About how many blessings do we complain?

"It's Monday. Back to the grind," many people say, complaining about their job that provides a paycheck to pay for their home, food, clothes and recreation. But, how many people are out of work and would be grateful for any form of employment?

If you hate your job, then you will keep dreading Mondays. Why is it in modern America that we complain about Monday, look forward to Friday and seem to live for the weekends? Seriously think about it logically, if we only enjoy two of seven days of each week, aren't we missing something?

It's one thing to read about, to mentally agree with the fact that we're blessed here in America, but do we really believe that? So many of us live in our own little worlds. And, definitely, we should be fully involved in whatever we're doing, but we should take time to consider the larger picture.

Two nights ago (as last Friday night, too), many people in Pea Ridge were either at Blackhawk Stadium or watching the state playoff football game on the Pea Ridge High School TV channel. It was exciting to see the young men garner another first-round state playoff victory for the second year in a row.

Meanwhile, 4,600 miles away, there were parents bemoaning the loss of their children, spouses widowed, children left orphans, and a nation stunned because of the explosions in Paris, France.

When you hear a siren or a helicopter (which is this area is often an air ambulance), what is your first response? When you hear of a tragedy on the news, whether it occurred a mile away, a city away, a state away or on the other side of the world, what do you think or feel? Have we become so inured to hearing of tragedies that we insulate ourselves and think only of what affects us personally?

Two-year-old children are narcissistic. Unfortunately, so are many adults. We are not the center of the universe. We must consider others. If everyone only looked out for himself or herself, what a sad world this would be.

When we hear of tragedy, consider first praying for all affected. Secondly, be grateful for both your safety and that of your loved ones; commit to doing all you can to making life better, easier, happier for someone you can influence.

Wise counsel was shared with me several years ago: "We make a difference one person at a time."

Quit complaining. Look around and see both the good in your own life and be grateful and consider the needs of others and seek to help someone.

Happy Thanksgiving.

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Editor's note: Annette Beard is the managing editor of The Times of Northeast Benton County. She can be reached at [email protected].

Editorial on 11/25/2015