Grateful & Thankful

It is another beautiful day in Ocean Grove after a very pleasant and relaxing long weekend. I often give thanks that I live in a safe secure and prosperous country. Australia is a wonderful place to live for so many reasons. It's not always "safe" and we have had some harsh experiences in the last few years through fires floods and cyclones, but they seem pretty small scale when compared to recent events in New Zealand and Japan. As AC/DC said, "The earth was shaking.......you shook me all night long". I have been in one small earthquake, in Perth in the late 70's. It was tiny and caused no damage so for all intents and purposes it was more of a "thrill" and "fun" than scary or dangerous. I can't imagine what it would be like to personally experience the Christchurch or Sendai quakes and subsequent tsunami. Because of the e-world we now live in we are immediate witnesses of these global events and can see for ourselves exactly what is happening as it happens. But it's a far cry from being a victim. The damage and the death rates are staggering and of course we all remember the Boxing Day tsunami that claimed half a million lives in Asia.

In light of these tragedies I have to pause and be thankful.

I don't want to take for granted the way of life and freedoms I possess so easily simply by having been born in the right place. The people of the middle east are fighting for and paying with their lives to achieve the freedom that I enjoy. I had no control over where I was born. I clain no credit for the fact that living in Australia is so comfortable and easy.

The best I can do is be grateful, to do what I can to protect our way of life, and to pray for others who are not so fortunate.