Kristine Penningroth-- Thanksgiving

Last week I went to church with my mom and the priest that delivered the homily told us and interesting story. He told us that he was at a friends house for Thanksgiving dinner and there were a few other people there, one of them being a young boy. They went around the table and everyone told what they were grateful for and the young boy held up a picture of money and said:"I'm thankful for money." The priest then continued with his homily saying that is was ok to have material possessions but we should not only think of these things.

After I heard that story it made me think about what really matters to people. The first thing I think about when I'm asked what I am thankful for is my family and friends. Who cares about the money? Yes in this day and age money makes the world go round, but it is not everything, in actuallity it is very minimal to what is going on around us. Thanksgiving is a time of year to think about what we have and be thankful that we have it. It's about spending time with family and friends and creating new memories. It's about the feelings that come alive when you are with someone and in the company of those that you love. It is NOT about the money!! Money is something that can come and go, it can't buy happines, it can only fill a void or a need until you want somthing more. Money is literally a piece of printed paper that we have given value to. No one really values what is important anymore, everything is about how much can I get and how much can I have, it's disgusting. The little boy in my story is a typical example of what is happening now-a-days. It is a good possibility that he gets it from his parents, but it is sad that they think like that. Instead of complaining about money and having so much, give your time to something that requires some effort such as helping at the food bank, helping the homeless, and giving back to the community, that is where the real value lies and it is dispicable to see what holds the most value for people. It shouldn't be money it should be the irreplacable thing such as family and friends.