Being Grateful

I was talking to my son, Bryan, this morning and he was telling me how he is thankful to have the things he has in his life. The road has been a bumpy one (especially over the last couple of years), but he is one tough kid. He was telling me about being at a birthday party where the birthday child did not express (in his opinion) enough gratitude for the gifts received. He said he always says, "Thank you" even for the smallest things. He is right. He does. Bryan has experienced a loss of some material things recently, but tells me he is thankful for what he has and tries not to focus on what he does not have.

He then spoke of the people in Japan and how much they have lost and how he cannot imagine losing everything like that. "Mom, they have lost everything...pictures, their homes, everything..." The devastation in Japan is almost too much to even comprehend. I have been glued to CNN for the past three days or so watching the stories unfold about the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. The images and stories are frightening, sad, inspirational, and surreal. It really makes one evaluate life and things we have and how quickly it can all be taken away.

The one thing that really stands out is how orderly and graceful these people are in the wake of disaster. People are helping people. It's not "every man for himself". It's like they completely understand they must work together for the greater good. No looting, no stealing, no meanness or malice. They are just a group of people crushed by great loss who are trying to put some sort of order back into their lives.

So, one has to wonder how things will turn out after this is all over. Will the Japanese people triumph over this great catastrophe? Will they become bitter and hateful? Will they remain proud and poised? Japan has done many horrible, horrible things to other countries in the past. I have even heard some Koreans say they are not upset about this atrocity at all because of the pain Japan has caused Korea over the years. Understandable but hard for me as an American to comprehend. All I can do in the wake of this disaster in Japan is pray for the people and, in the words of a very intelligent 15 year-old, "be grateful for what I do have and try not to focus on the things I don't". At this point, I think that is all that our Japanese friends can do.