Blessings and continents

A year ago my friend from years gone by (we're talking debate team at Boise State, the undergrad years) married an Indian man and somehow his cousin became my friend on Facebook.  I've enjoyed chatting with him for the past year or so, it helps him with his English skills and I learn about a place I desperately want to visit (even if you have to bring your own toilet paper, hey, that's what my friend said after two visits to India).

My friend is 20, studying engineering, and has high hopes of coming to the States to live some unrealistic, where the hell did he get this idea?, vision of "the American dream".  He always tells me America is so great, we are #1, etc.  Tonight, I had to disabuse him of his notion, just a bit, because this is a subject his has brought up on quite a few occasions.

I told him the dream of McMansions and larger than life HDTVs and giant, unnecessary SUVs and such is actually crumbling.  I told him about where I live and the poverty of this community.  I tried to be sensitive, assuring him I couldn't compare or understand the poverty of his country or any developing nation, and that I know I am blessed and I am humbled by my many blessings I receive living in this country, but I'm not sure how it was received.  I told him it was my opinion that my country should spend less time fighting wars and more time taking care of people on our own soil.

But how do you explain to people who see so much worse than you do, that while you may be blessed and humbled, your country is flawed?  How do you speak truth?  Or do you?  I don't want my friend to come here and suffer bitter disappointment.

At the same time, how can I express my gratitude, my understanding of the blessing of social security and medicare?  A year and a half ago I held little hope.  Now…my life has changed so much gratitude doesn't begin to express it.

Tonight, more blessings were heaped upon me: I got to spend quality time with my brother, my mom made me fabulous green drink and loaned me a fan, I played with my dogs in the house because the heat never abated, and I enjoyed a cool shower with lovely smelling bath products, oh and wait, I forgot about the watermelon I consumed, um, yum, yum yum!

Last night was unmitigated hell with the hours upon hours of fireworks and doggie freakouts.  But today was peace.  So I guess that's the bottom line.  How do you share the idea that blessings come, and sometimes they are transient, but you can't count on what is advertised, you have to look inside.  There you will find them, and actually continents have very little to do with it.