Giving Thanks
My non-profit had a 'garage sale' after we moved out of the old buiding, and hubby bought a huge desk. That is a whole other blog post. But, I got to set up an office for him and move his stuff from the dining room table and living room floor into the 'spare' bedroom. After which I went into a cleaning frenzy and spent about 16 hours Monday and Tuesday sprucing things up. So Wednesday, I did the mani-pedi thing.
While my feet were being pampered, I listened to a conversation between a woman getting a manicure and the owner of the nail establishment. It started out with her asking him if he had ever smoked, and he replied that he never had, but his father does. And then the conversation went something like where does your father live, Oklahoma City, have you always lived in Oklahoma and he said no. He said that his father used to work for the North Vietnamese government, until they changed and became Communist, after which his father spent 8 years in a Vietnamese prison. They were finally able to make some sort of application to come to the United States "and have freedom."
He said that a church sponsered them to come to the United States and paid for their housing and food for the first several months they were here trying to get on their feet. Once they were employed and had steady income, they paid the church back every penny. He lived in California for awhile, but didn't like it because people were too materialistic and life was too fast paced. He likes living in small town Oklahoma where the cost of living is good and things are more laid back.
"I don't need a lot of money. My business is good, I can buy a house, I can raise my children in a free country. That's all we need. We're very happy."
His appreciation for everything he has, and his humility, really made an impression on me. Here we are complaining about the price of gas, the plummeting stock market, crappy economy and a lot of other things, and we take our freedom for granted. I was glad I was present to hear his story, and freedom was one of the things at the top of my blessings list on Thanksgiving.
While my feet were being pampered, I listened to a conversation between a woman getting a manicure and the owner of the nail establishment. It started out with her asking him if he had ever smoked, and he replied that he never had, but his father does. And then the conversation went something like where does your father live, Oklahoma City, have you always lived in Oklahoma and he said no. He said that his father used to work for the North Vietnamese government, until they changed and became Communist, after which his father spent 8 years in a Vietnamese prison. They were finally able to make some sort of application to come to the United States "and have freedom."
He said that a church sponsered them to come to the United States and paid for their housing and food for the first several months they were here trying to get on their feet. Once they were employed and had steady income, they paid the church back every penny. He lived in California for awhile, but didn't like it because people were too materialistic and life was too fast paced. He likes living in small town Oklahoma where the cost of living is good and things are more laid back.
"I don't need a lot of money. My business is good, I can buy a house, I can raise my children in a free country. That's all we need. We're very happy."
His appreciation for everything he has, and his humility, really made an impression on me. Here we are complaining about the price of gas, the plummeting stock market, crappy economy and a lot of other things, and we take our freedom for granted. I was glad I was present to hear his story, and freedom was one of the things at the top of my blessings list on Thanksgiving.
posted by Mom Thumb at 7:05 PM
7 Comments:
It's good to have those reminders.
heather - Yes, I definitely took a lot away from that!
That scared me when you said that Randy moved his office into the 'spare' bedroom. Is that a hidden message because I said we might drive West in February? Most people just say, "We will be out of town". You are right about how others in the world appreciate just having enough food and clothing to survive. I have thought about that when I open the refrigerator and it is full.
bill - No, we have a sofabed in that room and I purposely left it in there for visitors, even though we rarely have any. It just means it will be your bedroom instead of Randy's office while you are here. He can still work because we'll be up in Pond Creek at the cemetary.
I kind of thought the next time I visited a cemetary, I would be in the prone position. Guess I may have to settle for the tour in exchange for a B & B.
So who are the mystery appendages? Or do you have four hands and feet?
jeff - I have no idea. Google images. I had nothin'.
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