Just general rambling

 First world problems. Can you talk about them at this time? What I mean, the moment you say something about how things are here in this community, someone will say, "At least you aren't sitting in a subway with no heat or water like they are in Ukraine." And "bam," suddenly you are not supposed to have any problems in life because you are not living in Ukraine.

Understand, I get that the people in Ukraine are sufferings. It is absolutely ridiculous that Russian invaded Ukraine. It should not have happened. It is wrong. The suffering that the people are going through is terrible. My heart goes out for them. I pray for them. I support the work of various organizations that are helping them out. It hurts to see families separated, people getting killed, towns being devasted. It should not be taking place in this world today. 

Yet it is. It shows the wickedness of people in the world today. It shows how sin destroys lives. Sin shows itself as the Russians turn their guns on the people of Ukraine. It shows itself as people shoot each other. But we also must understand that this is showing itself in our country too. As people shoot each other in the cities, not just Chicago, LA or New York City. I saw that over the weekend it took place in Omaha. But we are not hearing about it now that the war in Ukraine is happening. Yet 2 police officers were shot last night, and the news doesn't report it. We turn on our police officers and then hail as a hero a police officer in Ukraine that was killed. Children are going hungry in our communities, but we only see the children in Ukraine. We need to see that we need to reach out to the people in our own communities to help them. If it breaks our hearts to see children hungry in the Ukraine and the refugee camps, it should also break our hearts that children are hungry in our towns and cities. It should break our hearts so much that, just as we send support to those refugee camps, we should support organizations that help folks in our own town. 

But back to what I started with. When you say that you are upset with paying the high price of gas, do you ever get made to feel guilty about it? It is presented as one or the other. I would postulate (using that just to sound like I know what I am talking about) that you can be upset with the situation in Ukraine and upset with the price of gas in your town. You can be upset over the Russian invasion and you can be upset with the soaring inflation. (And you cannot blame the war in Ukraine for everything that is happening in America, because gas prices were going up before the war, even told that it would reach record levels - before the war happened, inflation was going up prior to the war, it was difficult to get workers before the war, and so on.) 

So when I get upset about having to pay more for the food that we eat, it does not mean i have no empathy for the people of Ukraine. When I get upset that gas prices are through the roof and are at record highs, it does not mean I do not care about people who are displaced from their homes. I can feel both things. I can get upset and even angry over the mistreatment of the Ukrainians, while also being upset and angry that the screws are being put to the people of America with outrageous prices for the basics of life here in America. 

What amazes me is that we will complain about the price of gas at $3.89, while sitting in line at a coffee shop that charges $4.75 for a cup of Cappucinno. I am not saying that you can't have that cup of joe. You can. You can sit in a warm house while feeling upset that the folks are not in warm houses. It is what happens in this world. Remember that challenges that folks had while the world was at war in the 1940s. What am I saying? We can have empathy for the people in Ukraine, while will being upset with the unfairness and ridiculousness of the things going on in our country. 

Bottom line, let's work together to make life better for people here and in Ukraine. Let's find ways to bring inflation down here in America, while also helping to bring relief to people in need here and across the pond. 

All right, just rambling, probably because my alarn clock reset itself to get me up an hour earlier than usual. Oh, you poor baby, getting up an hour early. Just remember that people in the Ukraine were woke up during the night with their town being shelled by the Russians. Ok. I get it. But I did not have to get up early. First world problems.