A sobering perspective

So, I was all set to blog about how upset I was that yesterday, Kroger wouldn't take the coupons I'd so lovingly printed off the internet.

And how their short-sightedness had cost me an extra $5 on my grocery bill. And how that extra $5 I spent just made me sick to my stomach when I left the store, and so angry that I contacted three - yes, three! - different companies to complain when I got home.

And then, I found this story on the internet. And when I got finished reading it, I really was sick to my stomach. And even more so, when I closed the window, and saw on my desktop wallpaper the face of my beautiful, well-fed daughter in her ballerina costume.

I'm fussing about spending five dollars extra at the store - five dollars extra which didn't, thank God, mean the difference between eating or not eating - when I have so much else to be thankful for.

Did you know that when we first got married, sometimes all I had to spend at the store, in total, was $5 a week?

We ate lots of condensed soup and hot dogs back then.

Now, I don't have to worry so much about that. I send my kid to dance class. I paid pretty good money to send her to PRESS Camp for one day while we were at the beach. And my biggest worry when it comes to her nutrition is that she's eating too much, not that her growth is stunted because she's eating too little.

God help us all to be more thankful for what we take for granted - and help us to find practical ways to help those who need it the most.