Lucky

Today is a big celebration at my school, no classes and all talks of what a great school we are, how blessed we all are, how thankful we are to the sisters without whom we would not be here. It's mainly for the freshman to get to know the college better, and to see the sisters who love them so much, without even knowing them personally yet.

The speaker today was Melissa Fitzgerald, Carol Fitzpatrick from "The West Wing." She spoke about her work in Northern Uganda and the work she does with disadvantaged youth in this country. She was a very powerful speaker. I won't even lie and say I didn't cry when she showed a video from Uganda of the refugees she works with singing and dancing, talking about how lucky they are to have what they have. Many had scars from the war, some were paralyzed. A boy my age had a bullet hole in his left arm, leaving it useless. But he can still use his right arm, and he knows he is lucky. A sixteen year old girl can hardly keep from crying when she thinks about how difficult her life has been, but she can move mountains with her story, and she knows it.

And here I am, laying on my standard issue mattress, staring at my $800 television, my counter overflowing with junk food and 100 calorie lorna doones. I don't want to ever take the blessings I have for granted. I am so lucky.