Published: July 09, 2008 12:03 am            

Money can’t buy family or friends

Are you a millionaire? Think about it.

What if you won an $11 million sweepstakes or a lottery and became wealthy overnight? Would your life change drastically, or would you stay the same? Would you remain the same basic person you always have been? It is difficult to say for sure what our reaction would be and it probably won’t happen anyway, but it’s something to think about. It is nice to have sufficient money for comforts and extras, too, but the things in life that really matter in the long run are not things that can be bought with any amount of money.

Money cannot possibly buy the love of family and friends. Oh, there may be lots of people who gather around us at a time of wealth, but are they tried and true friends, or people wishing for a handout or loan or to be seen with the rich and famous? To real friends and true loving family our income doesn’t affect how they feel about us.

We just had a wonderful Indepen-dence Day celebration at my brother’s ranch in Pawnee County. The day was perfect in every way. The kids all played together and had such a good time popping firecrackers and blowing bubbles and playing with water pistols. The grown-ups visited and enjoyed the beautiful outdoors and the cool shade. The food was fabulous. My brother barbecued chickens and my sister-in-law organized all the trimmings. We ate lots of watermelon and potato salad and baked beans and corn salad and seven-layer dip and homemade pickles and much more. For dessert we consumed two gallons of homemade ice cream with fruit pizza, chocolate chip cookies and brownies. We all ate like millionaires and had a wonderful day.

Money cannot buy health. It can pay our doctor bills, medical bills and prescriptions, but health itself comes with a greater price. If money would cure people, there would be no illness or disease or pain. It would be nice if we could purchase perfect, sound health but it just doesn’t work that way. We have to take charge of our own health, with exercise and eating properly and doing everything possible to take care of our bodies.

Money cannot buy peace of mind. Even people with money can be a wreck mentally. Some people constantly are seeking something or someone who will bring them the happiness they so desperately crave. They fail to enjoy the simple things of true friendships and humble everyday joys. They long for genuine pleasures and restful sleep and they do not come. Money does not bring peace and rest.

There are even people without means who fail to find happiness in simple pleasures. They think money will buy happiness and it doesn’t. They go into credit card debt trying to find what they want and it doesn’t supply their real needs. Satisfaction with life comes from within a person. We can do without and still have peace within.

Money cannot buy class. People who have inherited money or have acquired new money often do not cope with their wealth and fail to have the elegance and grace to use it properly or with style. Thus class is not something we purchase but acquire with proper upbringing and caring for other people. Class is the art of putting other people first and has little to do with the amount of money one has. There are people with riches who do have class but it is not guaranteed. Simplicity is class. Showiness is not class.

Money cannot buy happiness. Happiness comes from within our own self and not from our pocket- books and wallets and bank accounts. Happiness is a state of mind or being content with what we have, with enough to share with those less fortunate. Some of the happiest people are those who have the least money because they look around them for beauty and love. They find pleasure and satisfaction in their humble surroundings. They appreciate what they have and how they got it.

Money of any amount will not buy sight to the blind or hearing to the deaf. There are several blind people in our exercise class at Senior Life Network. They are happy, joyful people. They keep our class fun and motivated. They never complain. Too many of us who are sighted fail to see the beauty around us. We are blind and deaf to the sounds and sights we should be appreciating. These friends inspire me to be more thankful for the things we take for granted.

I think if I won a fortune I would continue to write and cook and care for my family and things as I have always done. I cannot imagine it would change me or mine all that much. I am content with what I have and I think most people feel the same way I do. Would we really change that much? Maybe for a short time we would bask in our glory and money, but then we would settle back to the norm of things. This norm is happiness.

Sometimes the world seems to be luxury made and money crazy. Money is a great power and when properly handled it can accomplish great things. If money is used for the wrong purposes, it can wreck the whole social order. With so much to be thankful for and the right attitude we can all be millionaires.

I mentioned the delicious corn salad we enjoyed on July Fourth. My sister-in-law’s sister-in-law made it for our picnic. Kristy shared the recipe with me and I share it with you, giving her all the credit.



Kristy’s Corn Salad



1 can of Mexican corn, well drained

1⁄4 cup chopped green onions

1 large tomato chopped

1⁄3 teaspoon chili seasoning

1⁄3 cup mayonnaise

1 cup corn chips

Mix corn, onions, tomato, seasoning and mayonnaise. Just before serving, add the corn chips. I made it with plain corn, canned and well- drained tomatoes, plain onions chopped and it still was delicious. I also added a little salt, but that is up to you. This recipe is easy to increase if you need it for a big bunch of people and goes with everything.



Send your comments to: Peggy Goodrich, Food For Thought, P.O. Box 1192, Enid, OK 73702.