Giving thanks for the 'basic necessities'

We all heard about the guy who almost burned down his house trying to get his pipes unfrozen during the recent cold spell and ice storms.

For most of us, our first thoughts were, "What a maniac."

My thoughts - the thoughts of a woman who had been without water for five days - were, "Gee, did it work? And why didn't I think of that?"

Take away one of life's necessities for even 24 hours, and you start to get some crazy thoughts. And what about the 120,000 people who were without power, some for more than 48 hours?

Maybe we can all draw a little perspective from the experience of having to live just a few days without the basic necessities and realize how lucky we are to live in a society and at a time when water, electricity and food are readily available and require nothing more than flipping a switch, turning a knob, running to the grocery and, of course, paying the bill. Had we been born 100 years ago or somewhere else in the world, we could be lacking what we've grown to consider our "basic necessities."

Consider the following: There are approximately 450 million people in 29 countries who suffer with severe water shortage, according to the United Nations Environment Programme. The World Hunger Education Service says approximately 850 million people worldwide are malnourished, and five million children die of malnutrition each year.

In light of all this, I ask one thing. The next time you flip on a light, open a refrigerator filled with food, turn up the heat, take a shower, or drink a glass of water, take a moment to be thankful that you are able to do so, pray for all the people in this world for whom water, electricity and food are a scarcity, and perhaps even donate just $5 to any charity that contributes to helping people in need.

Sometimes we just need a reminder of how blessed we really are. I know I did.

Grateful to again have water, Kathy Gates splits her time between Miami Heights, where she lives with adorable, spoiled boxer, Mason, and West Chester Township, where she is privileged to help others as a licensed massage therapist at Tri-County Spine & Rehab.