Mister Grumpy Recognizes Blessings

Each morning when I roll out of bed, I’m faced with the task of preparing my own breakfast. I’m not too excited about making eggs or frying strips bacon or a slice ham, or making toast. And I get weary of cold cereal or oatmeal. The thought of eating breakfast food early in the morning has lost its appeal, but because I have diabetes it’s important that I eat after I’ve taken my morning medications. My doctor has warned me about skipping meals. Many times my breakfast becomes “opening the fridge and reheating leftovers.” Spaghetti, pizza, or a piece of fried chicken tempts me more than anything else on the shelves. There are times when I have a microwavable sausage dog covered in pancake batter or a heat-and-serve sausage or bacon-biscuit, but they too have lost their attraction as well.

Then Mr. Grumpy finally decides on something to eat. This morning after I thanked God for my meal and sat eating a hot microwavable vegetarian food bowl, (Don’t ask how this Buddha Bowl came into my possession.) I began to think of how many people around the world would be grateful and feeling blessed if they had something to eat…anything at all to eat and suddenly I was ashamed about feeling grumpy because I “had to make a decision of what I wanted to eat” and not IF I had something to eat. How often have I’ve turned this blessing into a complaint? I remember that in the Exodus from Egypt, the Hebrew children were punished by God as they wandered in the Wilderness for forty years because they murmured and complained. How different have I been with my morning murmurings? How truly thankful have I been?

All I can do is to apologize to an all-powerful caring God. I need to learn to be more alert and more grateful for the blessings to my heavenly Father who has given me so much. I have food in my freezer and vegetables that I helped to can last harvest season stored in my pantry and yet I am very ungrateful. I have been given so much and yet I am sometimes unwilling to give my time and my energy to return the favor and show my gratitude to the Creator of all the Earth and for all He has done for me. I know that there will be others who read who have wealth and those who are living in poverty and ask that each person be thankful for what God has given them and bless others as you can.