We Have Whatever We Need.
Several years into our marriage, when I was paying more attention to my kids than to my husband, he implied that I only married him for his money.
It was nearly laughable, except that he was serious.
When we got married, my husband was unemployed. He’d lost his job nearly nine months before our wedding. My dream honeymoon in Tahiti was replaced by a quick drive to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. And none of that actually mattered to me.
I did not marry Bill for his money.
Fast forward a couple of decades, and Bill is doing okay. He’s actually doing great: he’s supporting his family in a very comfortable style. We aren’t wealthy, but we sure aren’t suffering.
And it’s certainly no thanks to me, working part-time while “raising” the kids. Bill has provided us with everything we have.
I know this, in the back of my head, but I don’t think about it often. I don’t think much about money, one way or another, except to try to save as much as possible when I’m buying things I want.
Fast forward to today, and I am living in this relative comfort even during a pandemic.
Bill’s job – it turns out – is an essential one. He works for a credit union. And the credit union is exclusively for another essential group: healthcare workers.
So Bill is still working – often from home. Some days, though, he goes to his (frequently sanitized) office, which is a quiet place with walls, rather than cubicles. The office is near – but not in – a hospital or a bank. And he washes his hands constantly.
But what amazes me is that I’ve been staying inside (with my family) for six weeks, and I am just now noticing how incredibly fortunate I am – mostly, if not entirely, thanks to Bill’s hard work.
Of course, I don’t mention this to Bill. Instead I screech at him to wash his hands when he gets home. And then I ask him what’s for dinner. (No one ever said that Bill should be grateful for me.)
Perhaps today, I will actually say, “Thank you.” Or maybe I will just point at today’s blog.
Also, I need to give some credit to God. In my life, there were times when I had nothing. There were times when Bill had nothing.
Now we have whatever we need, and almost everything we want. Quite honestly, I didn’t do one single thing to deserve this luxury. God just plopped it into my lap, along with Bill.
But it’s not just possessions for which I am grateful. More important than anything else, I am grateful that we are healthy.
A few weeks ago, my brother-in-law put a photo of his family on Facebook – something he rarely does. He captioned it: “All that matters.” Those three words pretty much nailed the feeling we are likely all having now.
I am so grateful that, for whatever reason, God has blessed us – for today – with everything we need to stay healthy. We might have to give up our Disneyland vacation, but gee whiz, if that’s all that happens…? We are very fortunate, indeed.
In fact, given what’s going on globally, I am living in Shangri-la.