That Virtue Called Gratitude/Thankfulness

One weekend afternoon a few weeks back, my family stopped by a McDonald restaurant for lunch. We are their regular customers, be it eat-in or drive thru (sticker just renewed). Almost every week I think I've eaten their meals. The french fries would have made mount ledang inside my tummy if counted. However, on that particular afternoon, something rare and special happened.

We had our meal at the restaurant. Seating next table to us was a family of 6 - parents plus 4 kids. My guess the 2 big brothers were around 6 & 8, with a toddler sister around 4 and another tot maybe 1 year plus who was on the mother's lap all the time. The father was clad in a worn out t-shirt and pants while the mom was in quite worn out baju kurung. The father only ordered 3 meals. Despite feeling that it's not enough, the 2 brothers' happiness and excitement was appalling but the parents did not share such exhilirating experience as their kids. It showed.

We were eating almost at the same time. While my kids were busy eating, eyeing for the play room section and their Happy Meals toy and that add on Madagascar headgears, I heard the father scolded his kids with warnings that went like this:

"Hah makan puas-puas. Ini makan sesekali jer. Satu tahun satu kali pun belum tentu".

Gosh....what a pity. I saw the kids especially the 2 eldest ones were practically licking the burger cover, sucking the chicken's bones and snooping at every little left overs on the table. Their faces of contentment were obviously not a good signal for the father. Maybe he felt guilty that his kids enjoyed the meal so much and wanted to come again soon, but he just couldn't afford such luxury.

Has it ever occur to you that eating at McDonalds is a luxury? Apparently not for majority of us. Perhaps eating at hotel's restaurants is considered a luxury to us. But to these people, eating at hotels is probably never exist in their chapter of life. McDonalds meals is a luxury. Once a year eh? Think of that....

A reminder to me:

It is God who has made the night for you, that you may rest therein, and the day, as that which helps you to see. Verily God is full of grace and bounty to men, yet most men give no thanks.

It is God who has made for you the earth as a resting place, and the sky as a canopy, and has given you shape--and made your shapes beautiful--and has provided for you sustenance of things pure and good; such is God, your Lord. So glory to God, the Lord of the worlds! Qur'an 40.61, 64