Gratefulness, The Prescription For Greed

Gratefulness is the prescription for our disease of greed. Greed will attempt (tempt or temptation) to convince us that more is better. More money, clothes, vacations, etc. Greed will even tempt us to believe that reading more verses of scripture is better than reading a few with thoughtful, soulful prayer. Yes, greed even slips into our spiritual life. Our healing of greed will involve gratitude. Learning to be grateful for what we have will give us the gift of peace and contentment. This prescription sounds easy, except that greed will not go away easily or quickly. Greed will slip into our minds and actions so subtly that often we are not able to recognize the greed until we have succumbed to its temptation. Greed is never satisfied—it will motivate us to think that a little bit more is all that is necessary and then we will be satisfied. Practicing gratefulness on a daily, even hourly, basis will be a helpful spiritual discipline to discipline our temptations of greed. I encourage you to look at the YouTube video entitled, “Good Day,” by Brother David Steindl-Rast to learn more about gratefulness.-

Pleased To See 2021

We have had an unusual 2020 and pleased to see 2021 arrive. This COVID pandemic altered much of the way we do life. Judy and I wear masks and try to social distance. I taught at BSK via Zoom. I also retired from BSK after 18 years. I do about half of my counseling practice at the Center via Zoom or Skype. Due to a slip on the ice in February, I tore my left quad tendon which required surgery and physical therapy. In October I passed out and fell on my face giving myself a concussion along with stitches in my eyelid, lip, and chin. After numerous tests and Physicians’ visits, the cause of my passing out is still undetermined, which means more tests. I had a 79th birthday. Judy had cataract surgery and now sees without glasses. Her arthritis is a constant and unwelcome companion resulting in limited mobility. Our son returned from living 3 years in California bringing back with him a lady-friend and her two young-adult sons. He has also changed his work from Sam’s to Kroger’s (a large grocery chain) pharmacy. I pray that your life in 2021 will be healthy and meaningful. I do not believe in superstition, but just in case, we are having black-eyed peas today.