Tom is thankful:For the Lord's love and mercy towards him
That the Savior is patient with him
For having a new life through His atonement
For having such good kids - both natural and those we have "adopted"
For living in a country where you are free to travel without papers
For freedom of speech
For all the freedoms that we take for granted
For people who VOLUNTEER to serve in the armed forces of this country
For families who support those soldiers WHILE they serve
For all the love and joy he has had in his life
For those who have helped he and I get to the temple together
And lastly, he feels something that goes beyond "thankfulness." He reverences those who have served in the armed forces - protecting us - who have given their lives that we might enjoy the freedoms we do everyday.
We have a daughter living in Venezuela. We wish she didn't, but that is where she is. Sharing her experiences of living outside the borders of the U.S. opens my eyes to how many things we take for granted. Some of the things I've come to realize for great blessings are:
Having a mail service that delivers in a timely, routine, and untampered way. (In Venezuela, you can't even be sure the post office will be in the same place from week to week. They will move and post no notices. You can't send anothing of value, because the postal workers will open and steal.)
Having regular business hours in which we may contact businesses and government offices. (In Venezuela, some government offices are only open a few hours a day, once or twice a week.)
Having law enforcement. (There is no enforcement of traffic laws. Driving the highways is a free-for-all. You can't leave your home unattended - even during the day - if you have anything of worth at all. Your neighbors will break in and steal your belongings. Someone must be left at home at all times.)
Food supply in our stores. (In Venezuela there are massive food shortages. They can't even be sure they will be able to get dry milk from week to week. When they find it, they buy all they can, even if it takes most their grocery money, because they don't know when it will be available again.)
The freedom to travel freely. We can travel from state to state, town to town without showing papers, or getting a permit. We live in an amazingly blessed country.
For those who have helped he and I get to the temple together
And lastly, he feels something that goes beyond "thankfulness." He reverences those who have served in the armed forces - protecting us - who have given their lives that we might enjoy the freedoms we do everyday.
We have a daughter living in Venezuela. We wish she didn't, but that is where she is. Sharing her experiences of living outside the borders of the U.S. opens my eyes to how many things we take for granted. Some of the things I've come to realize for great blessings are:
Having a mail service that delivers in a timely, routine, and untampered way. (In Venezuela, you can't even be sure the post office will be in the same place from week to week. They will move and post no notices. You can't send anothing of value, because the postal workers will open and steal.)
Having regular business hours in which we may contact businesses and government offices. (In Venezuela, some government offices are only open a few hours a day, once or twice a week.)
Having law enforcement. (There is no enforcement of traffic laws. Driving the highways is a free-for-all. You can't leave your home unattended - even during the day - if you have anything of worth at all. Your neighbors will break in and steal your belongings. Someone must be left at home at all times.)
Food supply in our stores. (In Venezuela there are massive food shortages. They can't even be sure they will be able to get dry milk from week to week. When they find it, they buy all they can, even if it takes most their grocery money, because they don't know when it will be available again.)
The freedom to travel freely. We can travel from state to state, town to town without showing papers, or getting a permit. We live in an amazingly blessed country.
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