Prayers and good thoughts for your sister’s speedy and successful recovery! Your post reminds me to take time to be grateful for what I have. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

Leslie in San Antonio

Connie, what a wonderful post. I really hope Laurie isn’t in too much pain, has a successful operation and recovers quickly.

Thank you for pointing out that while poverty is global, we only need to look in our own backyards. Like you, I have never been poor (although by today’s standards, I think we would have been considered low-income) and I don’t know what it’s like to be without a home (@MikeChapman, it’s wonderful what you are doing!). Today’s Blog Action Day and all the great posts really opened up my eyes and made me so much more grateful for what I do have.

Thanks again Connie.

You are so right, Connie. We don’t need to look far to see others who are less fortunate than we are. I hope your sister recovers speedily from her fall.

Connie,

I will be praying for your sister, and for you as well during this hard time. Your attitude through this is a beautiful testimony. Thank you for sharing. I have worked with a homeless ministry here in Austin as well and I am daily blown away with the blessings in my life.

Thanks again!!

Elizabeth

Thinking and praying for you and your family. It truly does put you in a different place to think how lucky we are to have the blessings we do in our lives.

Thanks for the post!

We need to be reminded about the ways in which we’re blessed. But Laurie being injured is not the way I’d like to be reminded. She’s a darling person and as sweet as they come, so of course I started bawling when I read that she was hurt.

What I’ve often wondered since I’ve been in cancer treatment is what’s happening this minute to people we “know” superficially but not well enough to understand the details of their lives. My neighbors for example know nothing of what’s happening with me. Without you writing about it, we’d have known nothing about Laurie’s crisis.

Which leads me to wonder how many others that we see every day or interact with through social media are facing personal crises. Who - even among people we may know - are without medical care or good care for their children; have lost their jobs or relationships; are scrimping to be able to put food on the table, or see little hope for a future a day or a week ahead?

And that’s just scraping the surface. Beyond all those issues, even beyond Laurie’s challenges, lie hardships that we’ll never know abut and which make my little problems seem petty.

Tell Laurie we’re pulling for her.

Connie - warmest thoughts to your sister for a speedy recovery. adding one more to your list .. grateful for wonderful friends (and sisters) like you!

Connie, I do hope that Laurie is doing okay, that the surgery goes well and she recovers quickly.

Sometimes there are moments when we all have to stop and realize that we’re so very lucky to be in our homes, have good food to eat and are sleeping in warm beds. To give back, to reach out and make someone’s live a little better is a gift we get to give.

Mike I am so very proud of you.

[…] Reece reflects on Blog Action Day and realizes she has a lot to be thankful for and talking about her partner Mike Chapman’s taking the challenge “24 Hour Street […]

Connie - So sorry to hear about your sister! I hope she recovers quickly and that you are able to be there with her.

Mike - What a great and interesting thing to do to illustrate how it is to live in povert.

Connie,
First, great post. I was caught up in the work craziness today and your post really made me stop and remember what is really important in life. Thank you.

Very sorry to hear about your sister. Hope the surgery goes well and she is feeling better soon.

Connie — I’m sorry I didn’t see this earlier, and like Jackie, this really made me stop and think. Thanks for that, and best wishes to your sister. I hope for a speedy recovery.

Connie, my thoughts and prayers are with your sister, your family, and you!

Thank you for a meaningful post that made me appreciate, again, what I have.

Connie,

Big (but very gentle) hugs to you and your sister. Isn’t it odd that it often takes an event like your family is going through for us to pause long enough to recognize how incredibly fortunate we are.

Sending prayers and healing thoughts to your whole clan.

Drew

Thank you all so much for your comments. Rather than responding to each one, I think I’m going to write a follow-up blog post to carry on this conversation. I talked to Mike tonight, and he’s going to blog about his immersion experience soon-I’m really looking forward to that. If you haven’t already, please take time to read some of Rachel’s posts on the Mobile Loaves and Fishes blog. She wrote so eloquently about her experience and the effects it has had on her now that she’s back home.

Update on Laurie: She is scheduled for surgery at noon on Friday. Doctor says she should be able to attend the big event on Saturday night. And she should be able to fly home as scheduled on Monday night. A very close friend has flown to Ohio to take care of Laurie’s personal needs — feeding her, brushing her teeth, helping her to the bathroom. What a gift. What an amazing gift.