Over the course of my life, I have learned that instead of wealth making a person happy it is happiness that makes a person wealthy. I once heard that a person's wealth consists of that which he or she is able to appreciate. My ability to live in the moment and appreciate the gifts that I receive each day is what makes me feel both happy and wealthy. Counting my money... no matter how little or how much... does not give me nearly the joy and satisfaction as counting my blessings. Taking time to give thanks to God as I count my blessings before a meal and before I close my eyes at night has become a great way of accumulating wealth. And,I of all people, feel myself to be the richest woman in the world. "The Best things in Life are Free" is a manuscript for a picture book that I hope to publish someday.(It is the polished version of the former entry, "If I Were Poor."

The Best Things in Life are Free


If I were poor, as poor could be,
I still would own the roaring sea,
And all the shells that wash to me,
I’d serve as china for my tea.
And I would own the starry sky
That glistens in the night so high,
And all the falling stars I’d see
Would be as wishes meant for me.
I’d watch the moonlight gloss the lake
On every tumbling rolling wake.
I’d sniff the daisies wild and free
That dance in wind and call to me.
I’d taste the rain that falls in drops
And squish the soil of summer crops.
I’d snuggle with the winter sun
And throw a snowball just for fun.
I’d find relief in summer breeze
And study life through busy bees.
Then find a tree to call my own
And that would be my summer home.
If I had nothing more at all
But heard the hooting owl’s call
Amidst the sound of night time crickets
Chiming from the nearby thickets,
Then I should feel myself to be
As one who owns the very key
To treasures that this life holds dear
For all I’d ever want is here.