Count Your Blessings

Normally I try and think about the things I can blog about, somehow hoping that inspiration will come my way. Well, today it did. I decided to drive into Lincolnton earlier today just to get out of the house and make my weekly trip to the Dollar Tree. One would think the employees there would know me and my son by name, after all, I only shop there, like EVERY week. I swear between the Dollar Tree and Wally World, they are my home away from home and thank God for them. As usual, James and I walked around and did a little shopping. I decided I would go ahead and buy a few baby shower items for my bestfriend, Amy who is pregnant and due in the beginning of April. The plates, napkins and cups were just all to cute to pass up. So, after making our purchase, James and I headed off to Subway to pick up some lunch. A Marinated Meatball Sub was calling my name and I just had to have it. As we pulled into the parking lot I noticed an older man looking at the ground and he was kind of dirty, but me being in a hurry and with that sub calling my name, I quickly got James out of the car and we made our way into Subway. I placed my order and out the door we went. This time, I noticed the man again. He was standing by the stop sign and bent over looking for change. His hair looked liked it hadn't been washed in days and his clothes had very noticeable stains. He did not appraoch me, but as I sat in my car with my son, about to head home, I realized just how selfesh I can be at times. Here is a man looking on the ground for every bit of change and here I am in my car, I just stopped for lunch, I have had a shower and my clothes are clean. I sat there for a minute before I pulled off and watched the older man as he crossed the street. I immediatley thought, maybe I should give him some money, but knowing that I only had my bank card on me, crushed my spirit. As we drove off and headed towards our house, I couldn't help, but think of all the blessings God has bestowed upon me. I have a roof over my head, clothes to keep me warm and food to put in my mouth. Most importantly I have a place to call HOME! There are so many things in life that we take forgranted and sometimes we all can be so selfesh! As we pulled into the drive way, I thought to myself, what if that person were me? What if I was the one standing by the stop sign, bent over and looking for change? Would someone help me? Or would they just walk away? This brought many tears to my eyes and made me realize how much I should count my blessings. You may think you have everything in the world, but in an instant it can all be gone. It made me realize, I shouldn't care so much about the material things. Do we need money to survive? Of Course, but money only goes so far and money isn't everything. Clothes with designer tags are just the same as those from Wally World. Just be thankful you have something to keep you warm. I hope this man will be a reminder to me every day, especially now with the holidays quickly approaching. I need to start thinking more about others and not so much about myself. I shall forever count my blessings and I will never forget this man for reminding me just how blessed I truly am. Thank you God for giving me so much more than I deserve!