Luxuries

Everyone of us has some thing or things we call luxuries.  Since water is a valuable resource in Honduras, for me it is soaking in a hot bath.  I get to do that when I am in the States.  There are a few items I can't get in Honduras that are luxuries when I am in the States.

For most of us, our necessities are luxuries for most of the world. 

Marc met two young ladies, ages 18 and 20.  One of them has a baby and the two of them are trying to take care of this baby.  They  have nothing.  We like to help people and we do not like to just hand out money.  Marc took these two young ladies to the grocery store and let them get what they needed.  Before they put anything in the basket they asked if it would be ok first.

They chose staples like beans, rice and sugar.  They were extremely happy about the sugar.  To me sugar is not a luxury.  It is a necessity.  I would give up coffee and tea without it.  They also chose some spaghetti and spaghetti sauce.  Then the things they chose should make us all stop and count our blessings.  They asked if they could buy some toothpaste.  And soap to wash their clothes on the pila.  And some white bread.  To me white bread, is neither a luxury or a necessity.  I can take or leave it, but to them this was luxury.  All they wanted to put on the white bread was mayonnaise.  Marc asked if they would like some bologna, too.  They said said that was more than they were expecting.  They would have been really happy with white bread and mayonnaise.  Can any one of us say the same thing?  Not me.  I think I would be pretty cranky if that is all I had to eat.

I know it is only the first week of April, not the time of the year we think about being thankful, but perhaps it is time to stop and thank God that we have toothpaste and white bread and a pantry full of food.  And for all the other necessities we have that most of the world thinks of as luxuries.  Very luxorious luxuries.

Terri