Nov
17
2013
I wanted to stick in my house today. There was nothing I was going to run out of today. I had enough milk, chocolate and cigars. What else that I need? I took a shower and dressed in my sweats. I had no need to put on regular clothes. Everything I needed I had. There was no need to go out. Even make a short trip into town to buy or pick up anything.
Aug
8
2013
I like wearing out my clothing. I have a favorite tee shirt that has holes in it. I want to wear it until I can’t any longer. I remember my friend giving me a hard time for my tee shirt had some holes in it. I really don’t care but he did. I had to remember he worked his whole life for one company as an engineer. He simply threw out clothing that had holes in it. He never lacked for money. I am torn between being concerned about what other people will think and simply being comfortable.
May
13
2013
It is easier to spend less than to make more. Your money goes further. There is no end of desiring more and more. Less not more. Being satisfied with what you have is the trick. There is a reason thou shall not covet is one of the ten commandments. There is no end to coveting. You want more and more the more you have. It is just easier to be satisfied with the portion the Lord has given you. And there is less and more from the beginning of the ages. And the commercials you see on TV feed on that desire: you have to have this. You have to have that. A bigger car. A bigger house. A bigger TV. The list is endless. Then you will be happy. It is all lies. There is an end to this: just be happy with what you got. And thank the Lord for all his provisions. Give us our daily bread. That should be your prayer: give us today what I need. Our essentials. That is it.
Apr
26
2013
I really do not feel sorry for my financial state. One of my friends made some reference to that. I never made as much money as him or leave (???) in such a beautiful house. I am content with what I have. There is less and more in this world. That is the way it is. God has blessed me abundantly. I know that and I am content.
Mar
30
2013
Somehow I felt relieved after both of my parents died. I could be my own person easier. They were not telling me I did not match up any longer or something I was doing wasn’t right. My father never told me exactly how I did not match up. I just knew I didn’t. I had gotten into debt and that was a cardinal sin and I did not make much money. That is what he was impressed by–money. Nothing I did. Mom was overly concerned about appearances. Looking right to the rest of the world. I did not have to deal with any of that any longer. They were not looking over my shoulders any longer. I was just relieved.
Mar
26
2013
‘If you don’t count your money, it will count itself,’ my father used to say something like that in his broken English. He had a point: if you are not careful with the purchases you make, you will run out of money. You have to budget, so you have enough money for all your essentials. Otherwise if you spend unwisely, you run out of money. I think about my father’s words every once in awhile. He was a wise man in his own way.
Mar
6
2012
I have to ask, again and again: Are we our brother’s keeper? You read repeatedly how state after state is slashing their budget for mental health services. Sure, states can’t afford to continue to pay for upkeep of their mental health hospitals so many of them are closing. The services in the communities are often not supported; even services that have proved to be cost effective like peer centers.
People will still suffer. The jails, not hospitals, now contain the largest population of the mentally ill. Many are in for minor offenses. Is that right? As if the politicians don’t know that? This population is the most vulnerable. ER’s are increasingly being filled with those in crisis and it is very difficult to find an appropriate place for them to go.
We will be judged by how we treat the weak and vulnerable. I will ask the politicians, again, are you your brothers’ keeper? It costs a lot of money to treat the mentally ill in jail. The money could be better spent in the community. The mentally ill do not belong in jail.
People are suffering unnecessarily. The general public is also complicit in this situation. There was a reason state hospitals were often in the country. Out of sight, out of mind although it is true decades ago they were called rest homes. There were none of the medications available and often all some of the people in crisis needed was some peace and quiet and time to regain their equilibrium.
The public and the politicians need to ask themselves are we our brothers’ keeper? And support the services that are needed to humanely treat the mentally ill. By all means the states need to spend their money wisely. But acting as if the problems will vanish and expecting the jails to treat the mentally ill is not right.
It could be your loved one? After all, one out of four have been diagnosed mentally ill in their lifetime. And you would want proper and humane treatment for your loved ones. Or even you? So we have to keep asking ourselves (and the politicians) are we our brothers’ keeper?
Feb
22
2012
My Dad was dead twelve years and I was still angry at him. I still remember the last conversation I had with him and he said he was more impressed with the million dollars his future son-in-law made selling his company than anything I did. My writing did not matter to him. I tried to tell him, maybe, my words might have more effect on people than my future brother-in-law’s money. It was to no avail. Money meant more to him than anything else. I never got “the blessing” from him. And even today, years later I was still angry about his rejection of who I was. He was the one person I wanted to please. And even now the hurt and pain has not gone away.
Jun
28
2011
‘The poor man thinks money will buy his happiness, the rich man knows it won’t.’ The first time I heard that said it was my pastor (and friend) who told me that. I am sure it was not his original words. It is true when you are struggling to pay your bills it is a common illusion. And not being able to put food on your table is certainly anxiety provoking. Money can’t replace your sense of purpose. It is true sometimes your job is a good fit.
You always wonder how it would be not to worry about money. King Solomon was the richest man in the world, had it all, lacked for nothing and all he could say in the book he wrote was, ‘Vanity, everything is vanity.’ Riches can not buy peace of mind. If you read Ecclesiastes, the book he is credited with writing in the Bible, and do not read the ending; you miss the whole point. In it he said the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. Every person needs a relationship with the Almighty. It all come down to that. Money never satisfies. Ask the billionaire who can buy anything whether money can buy him happiness. I think you know the answer.
Mar
24
2011
Nothing is more precious than your name. When that become tarnished, it becomes very difficult to get back. Your reputation is everything.
Proverbs in the Bible says your name is more precious than all the money in the world. That is a paraphrase but an accurate one.
You spend a lifetime building up a reputation and have to guard it with your life. There is nothing you own that is more important than your name. Your integrity is everything.
And there is no greater test to it than when things go wrong. Do you handle problems face on and do not become defensive or give excuses when you make a mistake. It matters.
To me the greatest test of a company (like a person) is when things go wrong. Do you associate the name of the company with respect and integrity to the customer they serve.
Companies spend a lifetime building their name so you associate the company with courtesy and respect and trust. Their name (like your individual name) is everything so be very careful of your reputation. It is everything.
Jan
28
2011
Why do couples fight so hard about money? The reasons are simple although not so easily corrected. What you spend your money on represents your values.
And it is also a control thing: who makes the decision on what. And sometimes when you do not have enough you bicker more.
I have no easy answers except a couple needs to make up their mind who makes the decisions on what. It is also a matter of trust. Usually one partner is freer with spending and the other is tighter.
That is actually a good thing. You have to work things out between the two of you and each person acts as a check and balance on the other.
A couple has to have agreement on their handling of money. Otherwise, there will be constant conflict in that area. That is one major area each couple just has to work out.
Jul
29
2010
We canceled our Dish and I got depressed. We realized we were paying $600 a year for it. Money got a little tighter the last few months and it was just too much money for that privilege.
Nevertheless I became depressed after we canceled that service. On the upside we had lots of DVDs and old videos to watch. There were plenty of films I have not seen. I still have not watched Ken Burns series on jazz my wife got me for Christmas maybe five years ago.
All of that did not matter. I still became depressed. Like I lost a friend. Something I took for granted. And now it was gone.
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