ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE
Good morning this rainy Sunday! This morning someone asked me, "How do you like the lousy weather, Chaplain?" I thought a moment about the fact that my uniform was wet, my car had trouble starting, and about all those poor people stuck in the wall of traffic that inevitably occurs when 58 gets drenched. Then later I thought, how would we exist without the rain which makes all life on our planet possible? I remembered the old prayer in my prayer book, a blessing to God for the gift of wind and rain. There is an old story, a beautiful story, about a boy who came home famished after long hours of play with his friends. His mother served him some sandwiches which satisfied his hunger and caused him to thank his mom. She said, "Don't thank me, son, I only prepared the food." So he went to the grocer to thank him for the bread. "Don't thank me, young man, I only sell the food." He walked over to the baker and thanked him. "Son, you're thanking the wrong person, I only bake the bread." Wondering whom to thank, the boy went to the farmer to thank him. "Thank you for the fine bread that I eat every day," he said. "Don't thank me, my friend, I only plant the seeds. The earth, sunshine, rain, and wind make the wheat grow, not I.
By now the boy was tired and hungry so the farmer invited him to join his family for dinner. As they were seated around the table, each person took a piece of bread from the basket and said together: Praised be Thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, Who brings bread out of the earth." So, today, let's thank God for the sunny days and the rainy ones, too--as well as for the food He gives us. Each day is truly a blessing! Chaplain Mitch Schranz
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