The Big C

MK and I were talking this morning about one of our relatives who died many years ago. She died of the Big C - cancer.

I got to thinking about this and realized that society has always use the term as "a battle" as in, "He battled cancer to the end". We have a couple close friends who battled breast cancer and won!

I want to talk about a different type of cancer - one that can be as deadly but typically doesn't physically kill us. Things like Cancerous:

• Personalities

• Attitudes

• Work ethic

• Outlook on life

The United States is the third most depressed country in the world - just behind China and India. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for ages 15 - 44 . According to the National Network of Depression Centers, there is one death by suicide every 12 minutes. 42,733 people committed suicide in the U.S. in 2014. 250,000 people become suicide survivors each year.

This comes on the heal of MK and I attending a seminar last week featuring an Economist from one of the major U.S. companies. He shared that in the U.S.:

• We have never made more money

• We have never had a better economy

• Our unemployment rate is the best in recent history

• We save more money than ever before

Sounds like we are living in a country with cows roaming the streets and our waterways dangerous. Wait, that is India. Maybe we live in a country with huge overpopulation. Nope - that is China. Yet here we are in the great economy ever and we are depressed.

Why? I don't know! I believe, however, that our outlook on life, government and our future IS the worst in the world.

We need to fight, and win the battle, with those big C items in our lives. Cancerous:

• Personalities

• Attitudes

• Work ethic

• Outlook on life

It is time to look at what we have - not what we don't have. I had a chance to do a mission trip to one of the cities in Haiti a couple years ago.. 83% unemployment with an average household income of $750. PER YEAR! As we walked the streets of the city, which were simply dirt roads, we saw people smiling. On Sunday the kids went to church better dressed than most who attend church here.

We need to wake up and smell the money. We are a rich country. We have unbelievable opportunities. We live in the greatest nation of the world. We are so blessed. Immigrants WANT to get to America because of the opportunities we forget.

This year celebrate the 4th of July and the Independence we truly have.