"Enough"

I was recently in Thailand visiting families affected by HIV/AIDS. I met a young women there. She is 25 years old, infected, married and the mother of a 4 year old girl. She works hard, laying concrete in road construction. Her husband works hard as a night security guard at a local warehouse. They make approximately 100 baht a month - the equivalent of $3. They live in a make shift home - sticks and debris - with just enough room for a platform bed that the three of them sleep on. Most of their food comes from a small garden they are growing beside their home. The kitchen is a camp fire outside their home. They have some stumps to sit on as chairs. One of the people asked what happens when it rains, her response, "we get wet." She said it with a smile. Then she and her husband laughed about how they take turns holding up the corner to keep most of the water out.

I see many people living in circumstances like this. Often, Americans see this and feel pity. I have learned more about living, truly living, from people in these situations. The value of my life has nothing to do with the wealth of my possessions. It is about relationships.

This woman taught me another valuable lesson. When asked how she and her family were doing. She responded, "we have enough. God has blessed us with enough food to eat, a place to live, jobs and each other. I can't ask for more than enough. We are blessed with enough."

Enough? When was the last time you felt like you had enough?