Brass Tacks

During dinner the other night, my friend Patrick was relating stories about his recent experiences in LaFayette, TN (in TN they pronounce it la FAY ette). He was there the first three days last week as part of our company's disaster response team. LaFayette is where devastating tornados blew through recently.

Patrick had some heart wrenching stories of folks that lost all of their possessions, folks that were severly injured, and worst of all, those who'd lost family members. One young woman was huddled in the bath tub with her husband and son who were both carried away. She alone survived.

Those who had lost only their possessions were, Patrick said, profoundly grateful simply to be alive. No one said, "Why me." They were happy to be alive, and happy to do simple things (Patrick was there allowing them to use the phone).

When you get down to brass tacks - or as my hero Nacho Libre says, "neeetty greeetty" - mere survival is a big deal. Sometimes, like spoiled children, we feel in the mood to complain. We take for granted the rich blessings the Father has poured into our lives. When disaster strikes, what really matters is crystal clear. May God help us to count our blessings every day - especially the blessing of our loved ones.