Gratitude Lessons From the Dominican Republic

It's not uncommon to sit at a family dinner table and hear the words
"eat everything on your plate, there are people in Africa who are
starving." As a child is quickly reminded that they should be grateful
for the plate full of food, rather than aching over the idea that they
have another spoonful of food they'd rather not eat.While most of us
aren't able to recognize it, that time tested phrase has merely been a
lesson of gratitude - 'thankfulness, or appreciation, a positive
emotion or attitude in acknowledgement of a benefit that one has
received or will receive.' Although we often forget, it's easy to
thank someone for opening the door for you, or to wave to someone who
let you in on the highway. It's not hard to show your appreciate, even
a simple give or card for something kind someone has done. Gratitude
comes in small and large gestures. So small, that even a smile can
tell a story.It was a couple of years ago when my friend's daughter
went on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic. She and her school
mates took toys, medicine and clothing for the children and families
living in impoverished neighborhoods. The students didn't stay in a
resort with running water and big screen TVs. Instead, they lived with
a group of families in what to us would seem like unbelievable,
unlivable and unhealthy conditions. In what I have been told was
middle class neighborhoods, there was no running water, no
electricity, no door on the washroom, bullet holes on the exterior of
the house and prison bars on the windows for security. The student
were immediately hit with a sense of sadness for the people and one of
relief and gratitude for the warm homes they would be returning to in
10 days.Put yourself there. Living in a building of such extreme
conditions and not knowing where your next meal will come from. It's
such a stark contrast in an age of instant gratification, with
everything at your fingertips - food, water and a roof over your head.
Yet, are we grateful for what we have?My friend's daughter returned
home and the first thing she said was, "they have nothing, but they
are so happy and grateful for everything." It's a different world they
live in, the mother makes the warmest home she can with what she has
and the father provide for his family the best he can. Everyone
appreciates that they are able to be with friends and family, and
impressing each other with fancy gadgets is the least of their
worries.It's the simple story she reencounters of the children playing
baseball on the street using a pop can for a ball and a stick as a
bat. With two items found along the streets, the children made the
most of the sport. It's then that my friend's daughter brought out a
real baseball and started playing with them - leaving behind the ball
and they continued to thank her. Their smiles filled the air -
something that is a true sign of pleasure and gratitude among the
Spanish.In the end, the students came home completely exhausted
physically and emotionally. And even though they were extremely
grateful for the difference they had made on such a short trip, they
were even more grateful of the home filled of love, warmth and caring
families they were coming home to.