Gratitude 37: FOOD!

 

 

Funny that the only photo I have of food at the moment is breakfast food. How appropriate since my favorite meal of the day is breakfast.  It is so easy to take food for granted, and one look at me will tell you that I don’t lack for food.  Too many people have to do without, though.  My prayer is that those of us with too much can become a little less gluttonous, and those who live with hunger will be fed.  I use to chair food banks in our town (several different places) and it always amazed me how many people needed help just to put food on the table.  Not too long ago, we were in the same boat, and if not for the local food bank we would have had to do without.  It took a while for me to get around to this subject, but I am truly grateful for the food that graces our table several times each day.  May we each find ways to share with those who are not able to provide for themselves and their families as well as we do.  (GIVE to your local food banks on a regular basis!)

Gratitude 36: Phones

What would we do without the ubiquitous telephone?  I remember the old rotary telephones and shared party lines back in the day. Not too long ago I remember seeing a video of children put in a room with an old rotary phone just to see what they would do.  Not one of them knew what the thing was, much less how to use it!  Do you remember when there was only one phone in the homes of most families?  To own two was a luxury.  Also, there was no call waiting. Arguments between siblings were all too common, especially among teenagers, each wanting access to the phone.  Remember the busy signal letting the caller know that the callee (or someone from the callee’s residence) was on the line?  Upon hearing the signal, the caller just hung up and called back later.  Mom and Dad monitored our once or twice a year call to grandparents, limiting each of us kids to just a few words so as not to run up the phone bill.  That was back when we used to write letters to stay in touch.  From those early memories of telephones we have evolved through multiple phones in each home, to cordless phones, to personal cell phones for everyone in the family.  Yes, phones can be obnoxious.  But then they always have been.  Last night as I talked to Mom who lives hundreds of miles away, I thought of how fortunate I am to talk to her almost daily regardless of the miles between us.  And we can talk for as long as we want.  My kids are scattered across the country, but we are able to chat whenever the mood strikes.  I get to hear my grandchildren’s voices, and my oldest grandson is old enough that he and I can carry on conversations.  I love to hear about his days.  Even when shopping, Richard goes one direction and I go another, but our cell phones make it easy to find each other when we are ready to move on to our next rendezvous.  I can’t leave out the emergency calls, too.  In the event of an emergency, I can summon help immediately thanks to my cell phone. We may wax eloquent about the “good old days,” but today I am grateful for our phones!