For your consideration…
An image of my childhood “passbook savings book” brought in today’s message. When I was a child, a lot of teaching was done via visits to places like the, classroom speakers, assemblies, etc. We went to places like the firehouse, a bakery, a creamery, and even a walk to the river to see the maiden voyage of the Edmond Fitzgerald. Country schools had the NRA come in to teach gun safety because we were hunters at a young age. We had professionals like the police, business owners and bankers come into classrooms to speak to us. When the local bank came in, they brought us these little passbook saving books and once a week we brought money in to deposit into our accounts. It was a way for us to see money growing by saving it. Jump forward a few decades and The Business and Professional Women (BPW) organization had a program called “The Reality Store.” It was a game for seventh graders. They picked their profession, rolled dice for their marital status and number of children and then advanced through stages with the necessities of life i.e.; housing, transportation, food, utilities, clothing, insurance, entertainment, and vacations. It was a real eye opener for many to discover that the only luxury they could afford was to rent a movie and have McDonald’s. One of the other things they learned was about regular versus compound interest. There was a staggering difference when they invested young and accrued compound interest versus regular.
Our message today uses these examples and tells us that “blessings” work the same way. They grow and compound with each and every one of them. We are reminded to not miss the many many little blessings given to us each and every day by looking for the “windfall.” By noticing with gratitude our everyday blessings, we accrue a full and blessed life.
That is the HOPE. And so it is.
Bit by bit, piece by piece, HOPE by HOPE action steps anyone can take…
-Affirm…“I am loved.”
-Remember…You are the keeper of the light. Wherever you go, there can be no darkness.
-Meditate/pray…ask…”What is my next step for my highest good and the highest good of all?”
-Drink lots of water.
-Get outdoors and take in at least 10 deep breaths.
-Count your little blessings with gratitude…they are accruing exponentially.
What made me smile yesterday…
-A beautiful day.
-Lunch with Beth.
-A trip to see the amazingly beautiful peony garden at the Arboretum.
-Catching up with Shannon and Jackie.
-A new book.
Love, Blessings, and Gratitude,
Rev. Chris
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