I cannot help but think about our area and all the potential misfortunes that come with living near the coast and in a farming community. Hurricanes are a threat, though we have been blessed to not have a direct hit since we have lived here (almost seven years now). Tornados are common and, though a barn within eyesight of our house was blown to Kansas, our house has never been touched. Flooding to one degree or another is a yearly occurrence, though the worst was Thanksgiving 2004, our first Thanksgiving here. We had much to be thankful for that Thanksgiving; our side of the road was wet but our house was not flooded. People across the highway and in the lower parts of town had to be rescued by boats from their flooded homes.
The farmers are always in a struggle. It is feast or famine in regards to the rain here. This area has been considered to be in a drought pretty much the whole time that we have lived here, even with a summer of non-stop rain a few years ago. They lose crops because there is not enough rain or there is too much rain or it falls just right but at the wrong time…it is always a fight.
What struggles are inherent to the area in which you live? How do you and your neighbors overcome the odds and keep on keeping on?
39. I am thankful for the protection that we have been provided and for the blessings that have come to our area, even when all odds are seemingly against it. I am thankful for surviving crops and for farmers that have the “never give up” spirit and keep on trying because they know that someone has to do it. I am thankful for friends and the esteem-booster given by one this evening. I am thankful for people that see deeper than the outer layers into the heart and what matters and say so.
One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are
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