In the spirit of the season, and because I never know when I will actually write another post I thought it may be nice to reflect on all we have to be thankful for.
First off, I wanted to reflect once again on Thailand. Danny
and I both studied at Jesuit
Universities and were often spoken to about the practice of humility. While it is
a beautiful gesture, it’s not always easy to practice especially in today's day in age when we are all busy with our jobs
and day in and day out life can seem like a competition. We are trying to be
better in our jobs, our life, even our marriages. The need for “want” in our
society can overcome what we truly should be thankful for.
The definition of humility is “the act or posture of lowering oneself in relation
to others, or conversely, having a clear perspective and therefore respect,
for one's place in context”. In simple terms, the act of being humble. Thailand reminded us a lot about ourselves, about our marriage and just about relationships in general. We learned that we have so
much and we are so blessed to be where we are. Some of this is perspective on
living in the U.S, some is perspective on our hard work and dedication to
ourselves and our lifestyle. But in the end we have each other and that is more
than what a lot of people have. We have family, friends, food, a job and so much
more. We learned to be humble which is a lesson we must be reminded of over and
over. We laughed together when we got lost, became vulnerable (which let’s face
it, was the majority of time we were there), and when things didn’t quite go as
planned, we laughed more. But…we still had each other the whole time. We saw
homeless men crawling on the sidewalks because they had lost a leg, begging for
change. We saw women with babies begging for help and we saw endless amounts of
hunger. But despite everything, we saw those who smiled through it all and although they may
not have everything we have, they have their lives and friends, and continue to
live their life as fully as possible.
Within our
workplace, employees have the option to “Adopt a Family” for the holidays. As I
read the lists, it became clear to me that these people are asking for what we
can purchase every day. Shoes (I have about ten pairs, they just want one),
gift cards for food among other simple everyday items. These people may or may
not have a home and I am sure many of them will be spending their holidays
without the comfort of a home but rather the hope that they will have place to
sleep for the night. Many things are a gift that we take for granted. The
ability to travel safely and simply just be. Be with family. Be with friends.
And Be at peace. A teacher, one of my favorite Jesuits, once taught me that we face such a challenge being
present where we are. Our minds are always wandering, losing focus and we get
sidetracked from the moments we should cherish the most. He told us to practice
being present and enjoy where we are when we are there. Stop thinking, and just
Be.
So as we
continue on into the season of giving, remember that gifts come in many forms.
Time is a gift. As things get stressful, try to remember that things
could be worse and we are so very lucky to have what we need. And I challenge
everyone to pay it forward at least once this holiday season.
Here is to a late blessed Thanksgiving and a very Merry Christmas.
-Danny and Riss
