What is the secret to finding contentment?  How do we reduce the stress in our life?  It’s a process, not an event.  Contentment is an art, a journey. 

Peace is [...]]]>

When is the last time you spent an evening at home, enjoying a simple meal and quiet activities?  How did it make you feel?  Do you crave peace? 

What is the secret to finding contentment?  How do we reduce the stress in our life?  It’s a process, not an event.  Contentment is an art, a journey. 

Peace is an internal feeling.  We all have the ability to call it forth, from our heart, no matter the outside circumstance.  If it were not so, if peace was always dependent on external events, we would be at a great loss.

Peace is a state of mind.  It is a practice, a habit we create and it builds great strength in the person who masters the art of contentment.

We have so many things that are good.  Even in loss, we can think about what we still hold dear.  When I lost my home to fire, I had memories of my possessions, I could re-build, I could begin again and do things differently.  I had my family, my children, my friends.  I could adopt new pets, and love again. 

It was painful.  We craved peace, and it was not easily found.  The fire set off a disasterous chain of events.  Every one of our cars broke down, and we had no money.  We wore other people’s clothing, sat on other people’s couches in a newly rented home that did not feel familiar.  Everything in it, had been someone else’s.  It was going to take time to create the “home” feeling.  We were frustrated, cried easily, argued. 

We were blessed in the middle of all of it by an opportunity to help someone else.  We had little, could we give?  We were soon tested.

Scraping together some change, we could give our kids a needed  break.  We found enough money to go to a nearby movie, so we loaded up and headed out, searching for a moment of distraction, a bit of fun.  First stop, was a taco meal.  We pulled into the fast food restaurant, and noticed a woman standing near our car.  By her side was a young girl, about 8 or 9 years old.

The young woman nodded to the little girl, and she approached us with her hand out.  “We need food.  Can you help us?”  I looked at Lynn and nodded, and then took our boys into the building.  Lynn came in and said, “She needs groceries, not a quick meal.” 

I said to him “We don’t have much money.”  I turned to the boys and said “What do you want to do?” 

They replied “We need to help them, Mom, they’re hungry.”

We counted out our money.  If we shared our taco meals, and went to the movie with no refreshments, we could give them $20.00.  It would feed them until Monday, when the young woman promised she’d go see about emergency food stamps. 

We’d be broke the rest of the week.  The boys still wanted to go to the show and after all we’d been through, we decided to do it.  Our house was filled with food, we’d make it.

The tacos were sweet and we ate them slowly.  Soberly, we drove to the movie, none remembered what we saw.  We were together; we’d given to another, we were content.

Walking back into the house, we gave each other the big “Alsobrook” hug, our traditional group embrace.  We held on for along time.  No real conversation was necessary; our hearts did the talking. 

“You passed the test.”  whispered the Spirit of Goodness.  “You had little and you gave more away.” 

I knew that woman was put there in that moment in time, by no accident.  Would another have helped her?  I don’t know. What did she really do with the money?  I don’t know, the choice was hers. 

 It was our moment, our time.  We gave and the blessing was contentment, not relief from our struggles; they were to go on for another few years. 

We only have moments to make a difference.  She gave us that blessing.

Our society is filled with seduction.  “Buy more, have bigger, this is not enough”  it whispers and yells at every turn. 

Find the contentment in the moments of life.  It is our choice. 

What will we choose? 

I am Marisue and I write.