The following passage is from an unknown author:

“If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than the million who will not survive the week.

If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation, you are ahead of 500 million people in the world.

If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75% of this world.

If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace, you are among the top 8% of the world’s wealthy.

If your parents are still alive and still married, you are very rare — even in the United States.

If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful, you are blessed because the majority can, but most do not.

If you can hold someone’s hand, hug them or even touch them on the shoulder, you are blessed because you can offer a healing touch.

If you can read this message, you just received a double blessing. Someone cares about you and shared this with you.

Furthermore, you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world that cannot read at all.

If you can attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture or death, you are more blessed than three billion people in the world.

Praise the Lord for your blessings and use your freedoms. There are many who have given their lives for you to have them. Be thankful!!!!”

A copy of the above statement has been folded up in one of my quote books for a very long time, and when I saw it today, I thought it might be something to send to The Gazette that would be of interest to the readers. I don’t know who wrote it, how long ago it was written, or where it came from. I don’t even know if the statistics are all true, but they gave me a lot to think about.

After writing the above words, I decided to see if I could find this in my computer. I just entered the first line in the “search” and up came something very similar. It is titled, “You Are Blessed” by Anonymous. It is a little different. Rather than not send it at all, I will send this version, and you can check out the other if you are interested. Each will give you a lot to think about.