“The happiest people don’t worry too much about whether life is fair or not, they just get on with it.” ~ Andrew Matthews ~
All of my life, I have become indignant when things are not fair. But, life isn’t fair, is it? I was a shy kid and a follower of rules, so much so that my free-spirited mother used to wonder if I was really her child. I didn’t have her mischievous spunk!
When a teacher assigned the class extra homework or canceled a privilege because one disobedient kid misbehaved, it frustrated me that the whole class was punished. But, I did the extra homework and learned to love to learn!
Recently, I was in Colorado to help with our daughter’s surgery. The doctor handed me a prescription for her. “Can you call it in to the pharmacy so it will be ready when I pick it up?” I asked. “No, the state of Colorado won’t allow it. Too many people were calling in fake prescriptions.” A few bad apples ruined it for the law-abiding citizens. But, what could I do? I gave thanks for the medicine and grocery shopped while I waited to pick it up.
60 Minutes, the television show exposed Medicare fraud and then did a follow-up story about the exact same story two years later. The fraud had not been corrected. That makes me mad and it’s certainly not fair to the taxpayers. What can I do? I can be sure all Medicare payments/charges are correct in my world.
In the world of transplantation, I often hear people talk about fairness and unfairness regarding the “waiting list.” The waiting list contains the names of those people waiting for a life-saving transplant. There is much false information out there, some say movie stars become first on the list (they don’t), or that athletes, billionaires have an edge (they don’t), along with other myths about how the waiting list works. What can I do? Speak up, learn, and read more about the truth at UNOS (the United Network of Organ Sharing) website. https://www.unos.org
If you have a loved one on the list, as I had in the past and have now, or perhaps your name is on the list, don’t get discouraged. Tell your story to anyone and everyone. Dig deep and find your faith. Devote yourself to helping find cures and teach others how to live a healthy life to prevent the advance of some diseases, raise awareness to encourage people to become organ donors, and share about the miracle of transplantation.
Most of all, give thanks for the gift of each day, each hour, each minute. As we all should . . . because whether life is fair or not, it’s a gift.