Will he know...?

I got up early this morning with my son and we went shopping at the local supercenter. It was cool and sunny, traffic was light, and the store wasn't very crowded. We walked up and down the aisles, picking and perusing, buying stuff we needed and stuff that we merely wanted. It was when we were walking from the deli/bakery area through the produce section that I was suddenly filled with a need to explain to my son that he should appreciate what we have. All around us were fresh, green vegetables, shiny fruit, tubers, etc. The produce section was a veritable rainbow of edible colors. We had just left the deli/bakery after selecting a pound of thin-sliced hard salami and several fresh-baked items. How great life is, that I can look around and purchase all of the foods that I desire. I told my son to look around, and when he grows up that he needs to appreciate the life he has, a life that allows him to walk into a supercenter and purchase any food item he wants. There are 6 billion people on the planet, but how many of those 6,000,000,000 people can walk into a store and purchase some fresh bell peppers, boxed YooHoo drinks, and croissants? We see starving people on television every day. I go to eat at the local feeding trough and see how much food gets wasted. For me, there is no greater feeling than knowing that I am in America, and as long as I put in an honest day of work that I can provide such things for me and my family. I appreciate what I have, but I don't take it for granted. I have never been hungry, but I know that my wife has. She grew up abused, neglected and extremely poor. She knows what it is like to steal just to eat. Even now, she riles at wasting food. She appreciates what she has in life, and knows that she has it because she worked for it, and that such a nice life can easily be taken away by the most cruel of fickle fates. I want my son to understand all of this, and I hope he does. He's only 4 right now, but I will never stop trying to teach him appreciation and humility.