Being Thankful for the Apple Tree

     Appreciation. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as "an ability to understand the worth, quality, or importance of something : an ability to appreciate something". Another way to explain the concept of appreciation is found in a Vietnamese saying, "The next time you eat a piece of fruit, think of the person that planted the tree." As we move along through life it is so easy to get caught up in the drive for more that we forget to stop and be thankful for all the things we have right in front of us. I experienced a couple of instances this summer that really brought this concept home to me which is the topic of this week's FTM Thought for the Week.
     My wife Missy and I are blessed to have a sweet granddaughter named Ivy that we both enjoy spending time with and love making memories together. The only problem is Ivy lives in upper Virginia, near the Richmond area, which is approximately a fifteen hour round trip affair. That being said, when we get the chance to have Ivy spend some time with us, we like to extend her visit as long as possible. During her stays, I pretty much lose Missy as she devotes her full attention to Ivy, as she should, and they get so absorbed in each other that it is fun to just sit back and watch and listen to them interact. Ivy is Missy's joy. 
     Now back to our appreciation thought. Ivy has been visiting us from Virginia for a few years now and with her being so far from home she has always slept with Missy in our bed, and I have been relegated to the couch during her visits. Well I'm not getting any younger and although couches can be very comfortable, I wake up most mornings with a catch in my back and a neck full of stiffness during Ivy's stay. Not the way most of us desire to wake up from a night's rest. First thought on appreciation, be thankful for your bed! On any given night in the United States of America over 500,000 people are considered homeless. When we lay down at night  it is safe to say that not too many of us give thanks for the bed we are laying down in at that moment. Take a week on the couch or better yet go downtown and find a corner bench or a doorway of a vacant building and see how much we should be appreciative of something so little that we take for granted like our bed. 
     At another point this summer my brother-in-law Glen, that I introduced to everyone last week, had asked me to help him in placing rafters on a garage he was constructing at his house. Now by trade I am an educator and a carpenter I am most definitely not! With that being clarified, I do have a strong back and a strong capability of following directions and providing support where needed. The job itself wasn't too bad and we were able to place the rafters on the building in the span of one day so it wasn't such a daunting experience as much as it was one that made me really stop and think how appreciative I am for the work that construction workers do and how much I appreciated my profession as an educator! 
     The job of a construction worker or any other outdoor laborer during the blistering heat of summer or the sub-zero freeze of winter is something that we see happening every day, but I would guess most of us don't give too much thought to what these men and women endure so that we have roads to drive on, houses to live in, and places to shop and dine as we please. We not only take our jobs for granted, but we also take for granted the work of so many others, regardless of the type of work whether it be construction, plumbing, fast food cook, or ditch digger. We are probably guilty of taking the work they do each day, in conditions we would not want to be in, for granted. 
     The key to today's thought is to stop and appreciate what you have and what has been and is done each day for us. Your bed and your job are just two tiny areas of life that we need to bump up the appreciation bar. If you are able to read this on your computer or mobile device it is safe to say you are living a much better life than more than half of the world. If you were able to get up out of your bed, step onto your bedroom rug, and then venture into the kitchen for a cup of coffee and a hot meal of your choice then you should be appreciative. In our world there are countless numbers of people that will not eat today, period. When you go to work and complain that you hate your job, stop and think of those that are paralyzed or victims of a condition that has rendered them unable to get up out of bed. The list goes on and on, we are so busy trying to "keep up with the Jones'" or even better passing up the "Jones'",  that we have forgotten how blessed we are and how thankful we should be each and every day. 
      If we can only start thinking about all we have to be thankful for and then take it a little deeper to be thankful for all that everyone before us has done to make life better for us, then it might just change our perspective on our life. Like the old saying at the beginning of this week's blog, "When you eat some fruit think about the person that planted that tree." Think deeper, broader, and definitely think less of what you don't have and give thanks for all you do have. Have a great week, I appreciate the opportunity to share with each of you and I am thankful for the life I have been given to live! 
"give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus"
 1 Thessalonians 5:18