There are days when it's hard to remember we are blessed. Especially this year. But I read an article a few weeks ago that talked about the possibility that we, as a nation, have forgotten what it's like to work towards prosperity.

So what is prosperity? I think prosperity means that you are able to obtain those things that go beyond your NEEDS. You have more than just your basic needs. What are those things? Heck, most of our homes are filled with those things. We are living in the land of plenty. Some more than others, for sure.

Donnie was watching a documentary about Mexico cartels over the weekend. It was terrifying to see the way some of those communities live in fear daily. I read an article about a company that was donating shoes to multiple countries in Africa. Those communities are living in conditions I can't even imagine. Boots for the children can save lives where they live. When you see those things, you realize how far removed we are from other countries.

2020 brought on new realities for many. And those realities are truly difficult, there is no way around that. My heart breaks for what people are having to live through right now.

This weekend I couldn't do what I wanted. Pain has been a reality of my life for a long time. And I do get so frustrated. But when I pick my head up and look around, I see that we have a beautiful home to live in, friends that are like family and family that we also call friends. Our children may have struggles and we may want to scream in frustration, but they are also amazing. I am thankful for all these things for sure.

But, I also must be thankful for those small things. Things we take for granted. We have working toilets. We can walk around the neighborhood with no shoes and not fear getting a disease from the filth in the streets. We have food in our cupboards and refrigerator. Heck, we have an actual refrigerator, 2 of them even. I can drink the water from our tap in our kitchen safely. All of these things are not necessarily available for everyone in the US and certainly not in the world. We are Blessed!

Sometimes we need to be reminded that we live in a place where our basic needs are met and we need to be thankful. Many in the world do not have that reality. We need to teach our children that computers, toys, cars, phones, etc are the bonuses in life and it isn't something you NEED to have. They are extras, and many people don't have them at all. We live in a world of prosperity. Is this prosperity that we constantly chase after to be happy, also part of what makes us feel empty?

Look around. What do you see? What are the small things you have to be thankful for?