I have a cousin who has an awful life. She has no job. She lives in horrible conditions. Her landlord refuses to replace her broken water heater or fix the holes in her floors. Her van breaks down all the time. Her lawn mower breaks down all the time. Everything breaks down all the time, and she fixes it all herself as best as she can because she likes to learn how things work. That’s good because she has no money for anything. She has two daughters, both over the age of 20. One is in the Army, stationed somewhere like Texas, and has two babies. The other (and the reason she can’t keep a job) has a strange genetic disorder that kills the male babies and leaves the female babies in a state similar to severe cerebral palsy. My cousin refuses to put her in a home, so she does her best to take care of her daughter herself. Add to this, until this summer, my cousin’s husband couldn’t walk. He had dementia and brittle bones, heart failure and emphysema from asbestos. He broke his legs every time he tried to get up and walk. Hospitals would give him minimal care and then send him home in a cab that my cousin couldn’t afford. A cab and he couldn’t walk! This summer, he passed away. So far this week, the bathtub has broken, a random rooster showed up at her house, terrorized her dogs, and wouldn’t leave, and a wasp nest fell on her head and she was stung over 30 times. It’s just like the original story of Job (the one before someone went back and added that it was all a test and that his losses were restored). Nothing but pain and loss.

So…today, I was feeling really upset about a life goal I have that looks unattainable, but then I read about Danette’s life. My life is nowhere near that, so I just need to put on my big girl pants and grow up. I need to be more thankful for the dreams I have realized because many people never get to see any of their dreams come true.