We take sooooooo much for granted! I know that I am not ever grateful enough for the many blessings in my life. So, when little reminders come, it is growing more and more important for me to acknowledge those in my life.
This morning I had one of those little reminders.
I was listening to the morning news radio as I was driving the kids to school. One of their reporters was being interviewed about her activities from the previous day. She is from England and yesterday she became a citizen of the United States of America. She went through some of the things she had to do to make this happen - it is a lengthy process and requires a true committment and desire.
After her efforts she was invited to attend the naturalization ceremony to be held at a theater in downtown Salt Lake City. There were hundreds of people from all over the world in attendance for the same purpose she was there. The process wasn't over and they had to pass through a few final interviews and questionaires. Then, they were shuffled into their seats in the theater and the Federal Magistrate came in and spoke to them.
He told them his story - he was the son of migrant workers. As a child, he was accustomed to working alongside his parents. They ended up working for a farmer here in Utah and this farmer made sure the family knew that if they were going to work for him, the children would be going to school. The farmer said that this boy could work in the morning and in the evening and even on the weekends. But during school hours he would be in school.
This Judge went to school, made it through law school, passed the bar, practiced law and is now a Federal Magistrate. He worked hard and made his life what it is today. He did not ask anyone to provide these opportunities for him, but they were there for him if he would do the work. So, he worked hard and he is where he is today. These blessings and opportunities are available to anyone - but they are not easy and they are not free! Blood, sweat and tears are payment, some of our own, but many of these payments were made by others. They have given me their blood, sweat and tears for my opportunity for freedom. Can I ever be grateful enough? I don't think so. Their sacrifice was tremendous - I just hope that I can work harder to be more appreciative, to remember the sacrifices of many, to remember the great opportunities available to us in this land. TO WHINE LESS!
