There is always something to be thankful for but it’s easy to forget that fact.
This is especially true when you’re going through trying times.
However last year, I went on a missionary trip to a small country for almost a month. I had a lot of fun and I was happy to be able to help the people in need. However, I really realized how great we have it here in the US. It was strange how happy other people could be with so little. It was on this mission trip that I realize that you can be happy with almost nothing. It also taught me to be thankful for our air conditioning systems here in the developed world. That month I did mission work was a month without air conditioning. It was also a month in one of the hottest areas of the Earth. When I got back to the US, and back to my home, I was so happy to just sit in front of my air conditioner and feel the nice cool air once again. I started noticing all of the little things that I take for granted every day. Air conditioning is just one of them. Clean running water, indoor plumbing, and access to healthcare are also things that I take for granted. Many people in the world don’t have these things. I don’t mean to come across as one of those Americans who talks about people in other countries as though they are lesser and in need of our help either. That is absolutely not the case. We just happened to live in a place that is at a different stage of development (one with air conditioning) that’s all.