Beating the Odds...

How Blessed are you, me, we???

With so much to be thankful; all the would haves, could haves, and should haves...

There is a 6% chance of being born in the United States of America. We have already beaten the odds; and this wasn't even our choice.  There was a 94% chance we could have been born in some other country, possibly even a 3rd world country. If we're lucky enough to have healthy guidance through life, we may have made good choices as far as education, jobs, and bettering the world we live in.  Some people don't have that choice and end up doing what the can to simply survive.

It's our choice whether we want to live our life or just survive it.

In America we have been blessed with some of the best medical teams in the world.  Ten days after returning from India my neck became very swollen.  After several tests and surgeries, it was announced that I had stage 4 throat cancer.  It was determined to take care of this I would need 3 chemo sessions and 35 radiation treatments over the course of 7 weeks.  I was told that if I was to get cancer that this was the best one because it gets the best results in regards to treatment.  The downside was it is one of the most difficult treatments to go through because it affects your daily in take of nourishment.  During the worst week I lost 15 lbs,throughout the whole thing was a total of 25 lbs.

Going through my treatments I realized how blessed I was on a daily basis by knowing I would get better, by the continuous love and support of our friends and family, and by having insurance.  Unlike the day laborers in India, if they would get sick, they don't work. They have no insurance, more less the medical technology that we have, there is no short term disability, and how much support can friends offer when they barely have enough to provide for their own families.

Thank God daily for your many blessings.

It's up to you to make that CHOICE.

I know I do.

Namaste'

Big Bob

Throughout the course of this past visit, I watched the progress of the daily wage workers as they torn down a concrete structure by hand. During that time I thought what life must be like for them, but it wasn't until I started going through my cancer treatments that I really appreciated what my life here holds.

Taking a midday snack over to the workers

They were intrigued with Aunt Kathleen's homemade caramel corn

Loading the ruble into trailer

a little help from Big Bob to get things moving