Being Happy in Bad Times

They say when your neighbor loses his job, it's a Recession--but when you lose your job, it's a Depression. I'm understanding this better as the circle of people becomes populated with more and more who have lost their jobs. This hit home for me this week when my daughter mentioned her company had announced an upcoming layoff in January. I could hear the anxiety in her voice, and I became unaccountably angry at I-Don't-Know-Who for allowing the rug to be pulled out from under so many people.

It's good that our country has had previous bad times, and it's good we still have people around who lived through those bad times to tell us about them. They will remind us that all the extraneous goods we are accustomed to are really not necessary. They will us that our loved ones and good friends stick with us regardless of what we have or don't have. And they will remind us that that 'having' of things is not nearly as important as the 'sharing' of them.

I hope during this difficult holiday season everyone remember those less fortunate than themselves. It takes so little to make a difference in another person's life. And the giving does even more for us than it does for them.