Feelings of Gratitude

I have recently been reminded of the large gap that exists between the rich and the poor in this country. I’m certainly not among the richest, but my life is so easy compared to that of many others.

Today as I sat in the free clinic waiting for Glenda to get the baby’s jaundice checked, I watched the never-ending overhead TV. It seemed ironic that the feature show was about expensive dog-wear, featuring glitzy sweaters starting at $49. I’m not sure how many of those in the waiting area even understood the show, but they must have wondered about Americans who were spending that kind of money on their pets.

Yesterday when I went to Good will in a desperate attempt to find a coat for little Angeli, I realized that many of the things on those racks had been worn little or not at all. I was able to buy a fleece sleeper, an infant bunting, and a small snowsuit for $10 because rich people whose babies had too much or had outgrown them dropped off their garbage-bags full of clothes.

I take it for granted that I can get in any one of four cars to go wherever I need to go, when Glenda’s family has not even one car. They rely on their feet and the bus to take them to work and to school and home again.

Certain things transcend economic boundaries. I count as one of my prize possessions the fact that I now have a “nieta adoptiva”, an adopted grandchild. Glenda told me today that I could consider Angeli as my surrogate grandchild until I had one of my own.