Getting perspective from a year’s worth of coal

Yeah, anybody invested in the market is probably a lot poorer than a month ago. My condolences – this is as bad a bear as we’ve had in our modern era. But for a dose of perspective, listen to Marty Schoffstall talk about his grandma: My grandmother always had a year’s worth of …

By Seth Barnes

16 October 2008, 12:10 am

By Seth Barnes

16 October 2008, 12:10 am

Yeah, anybody invested in the market is probably a lot poorer than a month ago. My condolences – this is as bad a bear as we’ve had in our modern era. But for a dose of perspective, listen to Marty Schoffstall talk about his grandma:

My grandmother always had a year’s worth of coal and six month’s worth of canned vegetables in her basement.

She had cash too, but very little of it, since other than taxes and extremely modest utilities she barely spent any.

She (illegally, but who was going to stop her) used to burned her garbage in her backyard.

Once a month she would go with the cans that couldn’t be burned (squashed down) to the sidewalk when the garbage man came round and paid some coins out of her coin purse for him to cart them away.

She went with my aunt to the store and walked to church (every time it opened).

She knitted clothes for everyone and her big luxury was ice cream.

The stock market? she remembered that it crashed in 1929.

I like Jesus’ take on the subject of simple living, and I like Paul’s advice to his protege: “But godliness with contentment is great gain.”*

We need to learn the secret of living content no matter our circumstance, as prior generations who lived in a simpler age have.

*1 Timothy 6:6

Comments (3)

Carol C

October 16, 2008 at 5:42 am

Ah, nostalgia’s not what it used to be, eh? :))

Funnily enough, I was the least stressed about stuff and money when I had none! Lived on a team where I had no income and had to pay to be there……prayed in every penny, every bar of chocolate (oh yes, I will be in charge of the cocoa plantations in Heaven so I’m training for it now!), every little essential. Used to pray for extra so I’d have something to give away and that was always such an exciting thing to do.

Now I am rich in comparison to that and it feels way more insecure! I guess it’s all in the mind, the attitude and how tightly you hold on to it. Easier to be content the less you have I reckon.

lol Carol xx
Jeff

October 16, 2008 at 12:22 pm

simple. concise. well put.
matigo

October 22, 2008 at 12:46 am

hello how are doing ,in this world it seen like I am surround by demons ,I know the devil don’t have power but it take over other people mind when we confront about different context about life and its true meaning.Iam tie of seeing fake churches,preacher people see with there flesh instead of spirit ,I am tie of hearing the beast across the T.V. radio chanting there plans and I am tie of seeing the ideal that people forgot the plan of why there here on earth and plan was to take care of earth or clean it just like it was your house.