Lesson #3: Gracias a Dios

I stepped onto the elevator with a group of ‘had-one-too-many’ club hoppers and some younger worn-out swimmers.  One by one they exited as the floor numbers increased.  Soon, it was only me and a young Mexican man who stood a few feet away holding a towel and a spray bottle.  He was patiently waiting for the area to clear so he could continue to clean the hand-printed mirrors. 

I asked him how he was doing.  With a look of pure sincerity, he responded, “Estoy bien.  Tengo trabajo, gracias a Dios.”  - I am good. Thanks to God, I have work. Our eyes locked for a moment and we stood there in silence before I found the words to respond.  His words, were such a contrast to the loud, crude conversations that had filled the small room just moments before.  He had said it like it was the first time he had been able to say it in months.  Maybe that was the truth, or maybe he was just that grateful to have what he had.

I realized how often I had heard that phrase in conversation since I’d been here, - “Gracias a Dios." Memories of my mission came flooding back to me.  “May God bless you,” they would say within minutes, even seconds of meeting us.  Those in seemingly dire circumstances, with no work, or no money to buy their family a decent meal would say things like, “I have a roof over my head, thanks to God.”  Or “I have my family, thanks to God.”

Sometimes I heard people say it with no real feeling attached. It was so much a part of culture and habit that people might say it without really connecting the meaning.  However, when this man on the elevator said it, I could tell that he was truly grateful for what he had and he recognized it as a God given blessing.

What a humbling reminder to me that our accomplishments and good days are not merely self-created.  I have what I have, Thanks to God.

That alone, is important to recognize, but I learned most from his willingness to say it.  Religion and God were not taboo conversation topics, even amongst strangers.  He was not worried about offending.  He was simply telling it like he saw it, not as if it were a belief that he was trying to convince me of - but as a simple, universal truth that was so much a part of him he didn’t think twice about saying it. 

How different our cultures are… with so much to learn from one another.