Standing Still

I don't mean to add two posts in a row that are sad, but I can't help but to share my thoughts. Yesterday was Thanksgiving and in the morning we went and helped prepare a Thanksgiving brunch for the poor. As we drove away in our Lexus to come home to a huge meal, warmth, and many luxuries, I couldn't help but think of how many things I take for granted. Don't get me wrong. I am extremely grateful for the things I have and the people that are around me, but I am not grateful like I should be. I thank the Lord for the many blessings that he has given me, but I don't thank Him constantly. I don't thank Him when I put a log on the fire or when I pull a pie out of the oven. I don't thank Him when my family sits around watching old family videos or when I sit with my laptop using wireless internet. These everyday, very real things are huge blessings. They don't go unnoticed; I recognize the moment and cherish it, but I should be thanking God for affording me with that moment.
Today, as we drove back from the mall, I text my friend asking her about the car she drove because my parents and I are looking into buying me a car. Now, I feel beyond greedy and selfish. My friend text me back and told me that the father of a family on our swim team passed away. He was late 40s/early 50s. How can that be? How can I be worrying about what car I will get when another family is worrying about what they will do without their father? I think of my life and how I would respond or even be able to live my life if I lost a family member. I don't want to imagine it and I can't fathom it. How can I be so concerned with such trivial things?
Then, just moments ago, my mom received a phone call from a college friend about one of their friends who is in the hospital fighting cancer. She was put into ICU and sedated without any family or friends there to OK this step. All I can think about is her and her family and the family of the father that passed away. I am so blessed and I don't even thank the Lord for every wonderful moment that he has given me. I thank the Lord for an amazing family, but I don't thank Him for specific things when something happens. Shame on me. How dare I not thank the Lord for every minute of beautiful life that he has laid out for me? I continuously say that I want to be a better person and a better Christian, but I will never be better if I don't take the steps to become a better person. I owe my family, my friends, and, most of all, my Lord God more. I owe Him my life and it is His to have. I am his humble servant and I can never let that knowledge leave the front of my mind. It is so easy to stumble and stray from the glorious path of Christ, but I can't afford to lose sight of the light. Jesus Christ is my savior and my light. I love Him!