The article detailed how authorities on the United States side of the border were spraying the group with tear gas from the other side of the fence to keep them from crossing. The photo on the front page showed about 600 refugees from Central America, men, women and children, trying to force their way into the country. It was a sad scene.
I never get into politics in this blog, and I'm not going to now.
But what I did take away from this was a lot of gratitude because I live in a country of prosperity and relative security. I can't imagine walking a couple thousand miles with nothing but the clothes on my back because conditions are so bad in the country where I was born. That I can no longer live there because of the terrible conditions.
And I think that many times we fail to recognize how blessed we are to be in a country that provides relative security, opportunity, and even prosperity for those willing to work for it. Often times we get caught up in the negativity that we see on the news networks and in the newspapers because we don't live in a perfect world. But the reality is that a perfect world doesn't exist.
We can have a great life, good job, good marriage, great education, but there are always a few clouds in the sky. But we have the choice of simply noticing them and letting them pass or we can tell ourselves how terrible things are. Instead, maybe we can enjoy the sun filtering through the clouds and realize that life is always a process of change. Sometimes that change is bad. And sometimes it's good. But the one thing we can count on is that life will be different tomorrow.
And when see groups of ragged refugees trying to claw their way into this country over a steel fence through clouds of teargas we can find gratitude for our circumstances. Because even if we're living in a halfway house or a recovery program, we know that we have a great future ahead of us if we simply stay clean and sober. Many don't have the opportunities we do.
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