A Plain Cracker Girl

 By Vickie G. Paver

 The other day, while grocery shopping, I had the urge to buy some fancy snack crackers. The kinds that people usually buy for parties. When we got home, I  ate a few. They didn't really taste good to me. Currently, the left over  party crackers are sitting in the cupboard. I grabbed the box of plain ol’ saltines and happily crunched away. I guess I'm just a plain cracker girl. They taste better to me than the fancy crackers. Give me saltines any day! I guess that is pretty much how the rest of my life is, too - plain and simple. Ah! Did I  say simple? Clearly, we still have the problems of everyday living here in  the country. Regardless, it definitely is a slower pace of living in this dogfight busy world. I can take time to sit by the pond, feed the fish, lay on a blanket and watch the stars, roast marshmallows, and view miles of dense forests and farmland from our little hill.

As we go about our business here in the country, it isn't uncommon to see cows or horses stretching their necks over fenced-in pastures, trying to get at that bit of scrumptious grass on the other side. You remember that truism, don't you? "The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence." It amazes me when I go by a fenced-in pasture and see that the grass inside the fence is just as green or greener. Animals can get pretty greedy at times. Just watch dogs fight over a bone with lots of meat on it. Cats, those precious furry little creatures that rub against your leg, begging you to  scratch behind their ears, also will bite and claw another cat for a bit of tuna. Greedy little cats, which have already been well-fed before they got the tuna treat.

What's more, humans can be greedy and always looking for greener grass, too. At times I start looking around at other people and think, “Wouldn't it be nice to have two brand new cars, a large brand new home, and a beautiful 'House and Garden' flowered yard, in a rich neighborhood. Wouldn't it be nice to have brown hair instead of gray and to be graceful, instead of  maladroit? (Lol) The list goes on doesn't it? Usually, I come back to reality. It wouldn't be fulfilling, trying to be someone I am not and would  just lead to unhappiness. I'm a country girl and I love the country ways. I'm a bit clumsy, something that I passed on to a couple of my children. They don't appreciate my generosity in that area!

Some days I am not thankful, but normally I look around and realize how regularly God blesses me. Today, I am thankful for how He made me and for what I have. I am thankful for family, my home in the country and my personal relationship with Jesus Christ. God wants all of us to be content with what we have and who we are. We are not perfect, but God can change those things in our lives that need to be changed, if we are willing. What I'm talking about here is really the need to be content and not envy what  others have. The grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence.

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