After I returned from the Spring Break trip in Biloxi, I hardly had time to fully process all of the things that I experienced that week as school work and responsibilities hit me full force like a the 30-foot tidal wave that hit Biloxi.  Now as I sit here ant write this I am finally starting to fully understand the impact that it had on me.  Here at school, I am involved in way too many things, and usually take on more than I should because I don’t want to miss out on any opportunities.  After going to Biloxi, all my accomplishments seem almost meaningless.  As I worry about how I’m going to get everything done from one day to the next, the people of Biloxi are wondering where they will live and how they can cope without all of the possessions they have lost.

As a Christian, sometimes I wonder how I can consciously live my normal life enjoying the opportunities that I have and the few possessions that I own when there are people in this world who have lost everything.  But if you ask the people of Biloxi, they will say that they haven’t lost anything at all.  They still have family and friends, and they have hope.  They lost their houses, businesses, cars, family photos, heirlooms, etc, but they were all so thankful when the found out that their families and friends were safe.  During the five days we were there, we had a huge list of people who needed help, and everyone on that list said that if there was somebody else that needed help more, we should help that person first.  

One house that we went to had no interior or exterior walls on the first floor because the tidal wave had blasted right through it.  When we arrived at the house, the woman had left us instructions about what needed to be done, but apologized that she couldn’t be there because she was helping a nearby friend who had more damage than she did.  Everyone we talked to had different stories about the hurricane and how they waited it out, but there was a common theme in all of the stories.  Immediately after the hurricane, the very first thing everyone did was check on their family or friends to make sure they were still alive.  At that point they didn’t care that their house or car or anything else was gone, they were just thankful for all the people that survived. 

Now as I’ve come back to the reality that I’m still in school working toward my own selfish goals in life, I remember the people in Biloxi.  They couldn’t thank us enough, but, looking back on it, I can’t thank them enough for what they taught me.  They were so thankful even though they had lost everything, and I realize that no matter how bad my day might be going or how stressed I might be, I have just as much (and probably more) to be thankful for.  How selfish and arrogant I must be to be less than grateful for the things I take for granted every day and to complain when something doesn’t happen the way I think it should.  If we begin to thank God for the little things, we will realize how blessed we really are, it will be easier to keep a positive attitude, and our tough times will no longer seem so tough.  In fact, I believe that if we are whole-heartedly thankful for anything and everything including the fact that we are children of God and loved by God no matter what, our tough times will actually fade away all together and become some of our most joyful times!  Thanks God, You are amazing!

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