BE CONTENT
I well remember when I was in my youth my father telling me that I needed to learn to be content. As time passed by and I became a father I found myself reminding my children of the same lesson, “be content.”
I have noticed that people who do not have an abundance of this worlds goods seem to be happier and more content than some who have more than they really need. About a week ago at the Hartville Marketplace I met a man who stopped by to say hello and I offered him a free Farm and Dairy newspaper. He was very grateful and thanked me over and over again.
In the course of our conversation he told me he was born in 1919, which made him 93 years of age. I was very impressed with his attitude. He smiled all the time and remarked how good life is to him. He never uttered one complaint or had a negative thing to say to me.
One thing that really impressed me about him was when he said,
“During my 93 years of life I have met many wonderful people.”
I asked him what he was doing at this time in his life and he told me that he lives in Sarasota, Fla., and he still works part time for a landscaping company and part time as a ticket taker in one of the local theaters of his community.
This gentleman was the true picture of “contentment.” He loved life and you could see it on his face.
My neighbor, Doreen, at the Marketplace has a little dog and his name is Willy. Willy spends the day with Doreen every week at the Marketplace. He enjoys watching the people walk by and occasionally catches a short nap. He is always content and makes the best of the occasion.
Could it be that some of us find it difficult to be content in life because we just do not take the time to give it an honest try? Have you ever slowed down in life long enough to eat an ice cream cone one lick at a time? The next time you do just notice how content you are.
“It is right to be content with what we have, never with what we are” –Sir J. Mackintosh.
The next time you are at the Hartville Marketplace stop and visit with Willy. He is always glad to wag his tail about life and not his tongue.
A good philosophy for life is, “I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content” Phil 4:11.
THINK ABOUT IT!
