Friday, October 17, 1997

Observation
By Mac McKinnon

Prayer of Thanksgiving should be said everyday

There are times when our attitude seems to need an adjustment.

This was brought home to me Monday when I saw a lady at school and commented that I was glad to see the cool weather, that I had gotten tired of the hot weather.

Then I proceeded to say that I'm sure I'll get tired of the cooler weather and wish it was warm again.

To this she agreed, but added that we're just never satisfied. That made me stop and think and she was right.

No matter what, it seems that we complain rather than just - as Mac Davis said in song, "stop and smell the roses." We have just about the best weather you can find anywhere and we should appreciate it rather than always wishing for something different.

Without adversity, we can't always appreciate when things are good and then we don't stop to realize how good things are because we want it to get better.
One good example is what has happened in Mexico this past week. Hurricane Pauline wracked havoc on the southwestern coast of that country, an area already mired in poverty. Acapulco of course was also hit and while many tourists see the glitsy sights in
that resort city, much of it is also hard hit by low incomes and squalor.

Then there is the volcano in the Caribbean where people have been ousted from their homeland essentially because the air is full of volcanic ash and much of the landscape is covered by the ash as well as lava and more is being spewed out by the volanco e
very day.

While many of these people in both those areas don't have much - actually the meagerest of existence - they seem to be happy. That's the way it is in many countries as people accept what they have and don't waste time wanting and wishing.

To be sure, the lives of these people are not as full as ours nor can they use the potential that they have. It doesn't seem fair, but nobody has ever told us that life is fair.

But we can learn lessons from other people in not being so greedy for material goods and learning to live life to the fullest with what we have. Sure, there is nothing wrong with working to improve our lot in life but we needn't waste time or energy on f
retting about things we cannot control.

As the prayer goes, "Lord, give me strength to change the things that can be changed and the wisdom to accept what cannot be changed." I'm not sure that quotation is exact, but it's close enough to get the thought across.

We need to pray for people who don't have it as good as we do and to share our good fortune. That's one reason I really believe in the work of the Red Cross as the people who work for and support that agency go all out to help people who have been devast
ated by natural or man made disasters.

Stop each day and give a prayer of thanksgiving for our good fortune.

Editor's Note: Mac McKinnon is publisher and editor of the Pecos Enterprise. He can be reached by e-mail: big mac@bitstreet.com.

Pecos Enterprise
Mac McKinnon, Publisher
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