What are you grateful for everyday?

I just returned from a 9 day vacation in the Caribbean. Most of the time, we see the beautiful resorts and beaches that lure us to the islands.  What we don’t see is the poverty and working poor struggling to make it every day. 

I had the chance to talk some local merchants and they discussed the fact that they basically have to make their money during the 6 months of the year that the tourists come in. After that, there is not much income for them. 

As I thought about how they are struggling to survive, I saw clear cutting for developing of resorts and condos. Even though this may bring much needed jobs to the area, we are essentially destroying what makes the islands so beautiful in the first place. Not only that, there are many natural resources that are indigenous to the Caribbean that will be destroyed that may help lives in the long term.  

I know that we can’t solve every problem, but we can be part of the solution.  Let’s support ecotourism and the local economy when visiting the islands. Also, remember to give to any causes you feel passionate about, but if want to spread the wealth, please donate to a cause that helps the environment across the Caribbean.  And, on this Thanksgiving that has just past and every day, I am grateful and thankful for the luxuries that we all take for granted.  I am even more so after seeing the extreme poverty and the extreme beauty on these islands that I visited, especially when we have sacrificed much of the beauty of our land to have the things that we have.  What are you grateful for everyday?