Hard Times

"In the desert, the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, 'If only we had died by the Lord's hand in Egypt. There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.'" Exodus 16:2-3 Hard times indeed!

Picture Scarlet O'Hara standing in the dead garden at Tara and screaming, "I will never go hungry again!" Hard times.

Or see Charles Dickens as a young lad trudging through the London streets to "Warren's blacking warehouse, back to the rats, the rotting wood and the black paste." (DICKENS by Peter Ackroyd). These hard times Dickens made into several novels.

Or look at Ma and Pa Ingalls staring out the broken window as hail destroys the best crop they ever had. Hard times.

Anybody out there experiencing hard times?

'Tis said that hard times always bring us back to basics. I remember doing without sugar in WWII because coupons were scarce. (I still drink all my liquids without sugar--yes, even iced tea).

I got to thinking this morning about what I would NOT want to give up in hard times now. What ordinary element that I have grown used to would I miss the most?

Besides the obvious food, water, toilet paper,etc--I think the item I would miss the most would be paper towels. Oh I know that is not thinking green--but I would hate cleaning up messes with cloth rags and then having to wash them, dry and fold them, and put them away.

The ubiquitous roll of paper towel is always ready to help, always absorbent and easily disposed of. So today--Hooray for Viva and Bounty, my old rough and ready friends.

Apologies to the Israelites, Scarlet, the Ingalls and Dickens who truly experienced hard times and Thank You to God for providing all my current needs.