That's how much money I had in my change purse this morning and I was grateful for it.
It may not seem like much but I remember a time in my life, more than a few times actually, that I didn't have a nickel, nay, a penny to my name. I was far away from home, far away from family and friends (sometimes even near family and friends but too proud to ask for help) and I was living off the good grace of God or as some would say, the kindness of strangers. It was even more stressful because, at the time, I had four small children and they needed to eat, have clean clothes and other essentials. So $1.83 would have bought a meal of hot dogs and a box of Jiffy mix to help us make it through the night. Folks, the struggle was REAL.
You see, remembering those times when I had nothing made me realize how blessed I am today. There was a time when I couldn't keep change in my purse no longer than I had just broken the dollar bill it had come from. And if I had change it would be a couple of pennies that I would soon be scraping together with other change I searched around for. I would look in the couch cushions, every pocket of every coat or outfit I had worn, the car, and even walking down the street I would look down to see if someone had dropped something. Poor? Yes, we were poor and the really sad part is that I was working two jobs at one point in time. I worked at a place where people spent ridiculous amounts of money on things I would probably never be able to afford but it was my job to sell it to them. At this particular job a co-worker of mine took a bite of a sandwich and didn't like it so she threw it away. It was in one of those clear plastic carry-out containers and it was sitting on top of the bin. I was hungry, no money and soon I was eating that sandwich. Yes, I ate out of the trash. Like I said...the struggle was REAL.
So while I was counting the change in my purse this morning I was soon overcome with gratefulness and amazement. I thought about the last time I had put change into my purse and it had been a while. I was actually searching for something else when I realized that it was there. I was amazed because I recognized that every single need of mine had been met and that I wasn't desperately in need of anything. I'm not rich by any means but comparing where I was to where I am now, the Lord be praised!
So take it how you will, $1.83 is a lot of money for some and I don't take it for granted. And I don't look down on or think too highly of anyone who may only work in a convenience store, janitorial services, fast food restaurant or even if you work in a posh retail store because I know that looks can be deceiving. If I can help out I will and if not, I'll try to find someone who can. And if you know someone who is too proud to accept help, you can always help anonymously and sometimes it's better that way.
Just sharing my thoughts today folks. Have a pleasant and productive day my friends. :-)
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