We all have much to be thankful for

It's easy to get caught up in the daily grind. The cost of everything seems to be going up. The holiday season can be frenetic. Maybe your child didn't get the part in the school play or is sitting the bench. It's far from a revelation, but Thanksgiving season is as good a time as any to put things in perspective. I hear often that things aren't like they used to be. Our kids are stressed. Our schedules are bursting. Our morals are decaying. This Thanksgiving, a simple concept is worth considering — we Americans have plenty to be thankful for, most especially those of us blessed with current good health. Children International reports that an individual making $35,000 in the United States is among the richest 3.5 percent of the global population. World Bank reports that 648 million people, 8 percent of the world's population, live in "extreme poverty," defined as subsisting on less than $2.15 per day. It's estimated half of that number are children. These numbers are staggering and point to a number of realities. First, we don't pay enough attention to what is going on in much of the world. I am thankful for Christian missions and other efforts to provide basic necessities to those who need it the most. Second, it's easy for us to get caught up in our "first world" problems — our second car breaking down, the cost of eating out or our winter clothing fitting a little bit differently than it did last year. This isn't to say that life is a beach for everyone from sea to shining sea. We are presented with daily reminders that Earth isn't heaven, and we are forced to navigate a series of peaks and valleys as a common experience. But it is wise to count our blessings. We have easily accessible water. We have shelter in our winter months. We have warm clothes and heat to get us through the cold months. This week, most of us will sit down with family and friends and enjoy a home-cooked meal. I see a lot of complaining on social media about nearly everything. Politics, economics, social issues, religion, sports. My hope is that we use this time of year to turn away from the noise, and think about those who are going without. It's a good time to pack a shoebox for Operation Christmas Child. To ring the bell next to a Salvation Army red kettle. To donate to a food bank or help a community meal program. My hope, maybe a little pie-in-the-sky, is that political differences give way to gratitude. That frustration with those we don't understand turns into connection. That complaining about what we don't have leads us to realize what we do have. We as Americans are not all in the same situation. Some have more, some have less. The challenges of some are a heavier hill to climb than that of others. We are all in different points in life's journey. But if you are reading this, you likely are doing OK. There are many out there who are not. May we all exercise thankfulness and compassion this holiday season. Jeremy Speer is the publisher of The Courier, Findlay, the Sandusky Register, The Advetiser-Tribune, Tiffin, the Norwalk Reflector and Review Times, Fostoria. He can be reached at jeremyspeer@thecourier.com.