Day 87: the book "28 Stories of AIDS in Africa"

Hi again,
Today I am actually thankful for so many things that I have already mentioned because today it is so cold outside (felt like -33 with windchill and -25 without) and I was so thankful for a nice warm home and the woodstove and winter clothing to keep me warm outside etc. But this project is about finding something new each day to be thankful for so I am thankful today for a book I read called "28 Stories of AIDS in Africa" because it has helped me to understand better what it is like for the millions of people in Africa and what they are going through living with AIDS. Of course it only gives me the tiniest glimpse at something so huge and I can never really fully understand what it is like but this book helps me understand a little bit more. It is very difficult to read because of what these people go through and I went through so many different emotions from sadness to feeling I need to do something to feeling helpless because I don't know what to do to feeling grateful for realizing all that I have to anger that anyone should have to live like that etc. I didn't feel the emotions in that order but they are some of the feelings I went through. I cried while reading parts of it because I feel bad for the people who suffer from AIDS when there is treatment available (but not always available to them) and because I realized that I have so much to be thankful for that I have taken for granted. You may be asking why I am thankful for a book that brought me to tears and made me feel sad. I am thankful because it helps me to be more aware of what is going on in the world and who needs help and while I don't know how I can help yet, I know better what is needed and maybe I can find a way to help. It also helped me to realize how blessed we are to live in North America because we have so much here-even those who have little here have more than people living in poverty in countries like Africa. I have hope that I will find something that I can do to help others in need even if it's only a little bit. If we all helped a little bit, it would make a big difference. So I am left feeling hope (that I can help fellow human beings in need) and thankfulness (for all that I have been blessed with) after reading this book which is why I am thankful for this book. I encourage others to read this book also to be more aware of what is happening and maybe find ways to help as well. These books are not meant to cause us to feel bad for people in Africa and then go back to our own lives-I think these books are meant to motivate us to do something to help. Thanks for reading my blog.