Throughout November, I have enjoyed reading status updates on Facebook which say what the poster is thankful for.  By far the most common thing for people to be thankful for is their family.  Some are thankful for chocolate and others are thankful for particular sporting teams.  But one person posted this:

(Name omitted) is thankful for the roof over her head. Our house may not be big, and it may not be tidy, but it's home.

Mayhap this resonated with me because I work for Habitat.  Perhaps it struck a cord because I’ve been in the very same situation.  But mostly what I felt when I read that post was the vulnerability, the honesty and the true thankfulness of the statement.

Because I work for Habitat for Humanity I do speak with many people who are struggling through difficult times.  The first thing I try to do is listen to them.  For some, it is cathartic to be able to spill their entire ugly list of circumstances onto a stranger.  The act can serve as a vent in the pressure cooker and relieve enough of the built up pressure to allow them to refocus on what’s cooking.  For others they are so steeped in the muck of their life that they can no longer yank a foot out to take a step forward.  By calling us, they receive an objective view to their situation and some suggestions on how they might best attempt to pull themselves out of the mire.  

We have seen an increase in people who are looking for creative ways to earn enough money to pay their rent or hold off a foreclosure.  More and more people are out of work while those that lost their jobs months ago are still unemployed.  Our community college is deluged with folks who have turned to education hoping to broaden their skill base and become more employable.  Times are tough and likely will stay that way for awhile.

But looking back at the status update posted above, in the midst of hard times, struggles, unhappiness and dismay, the truly thankful realize what they still have is far more valuable than what they’ve lost.