Yesterday I was peeling a satsuma, my favorite, and I thought of my dad. And, I thought about how easy it is to take almost everything for granted.

My parents grew up in the rugged frontier of the mountains and valleys of Western North Carolina. They were both teens in the late 1930’s and times were quite hard. My grandfather lived off the land and somehow with the help of uncles and aunts and grandparents they raised a total of 12 children, most of them in that primitive lifestyle.

I remembered my dad telling me how he and the other children looked forward to Christmas because that is the one time of year they would get an orange. And you read right, “an” orange. Usually they each got one. A dozen oranges was splurging that one time of year. Were they poor? You have no idea how poor.

So, when I am prone to whine and moan about not having an iPad or a newer car or…whatever, I need to pause and remember that orange. I am very, very blessed to the point that I am very, very spoiled, as are most Americans.

Thankfully,

Royce