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While reading Mitch Albom’s “Have A Little Faith”, I had another “aha” moment.  Mitch was visiting Albert Lewis, the Reb, in the hospital.  During the visit, they both listened to a TV commercial advertising a pill that would take away your depression…that feeling of sadness.  When the commercial ended, the Reb asked Mitch:

“Do you think those pills work?”
Not like that, I said.
“No,” he agreed, “not like that.”

Through all the pain, Albert Lewis…

… never popped a pill for his peace of mind.  He loved to smile. He avoided anger.  He was never haunted by, “Why am I here?” He knew why he was here, he said: to give to others, to celebrate God, and to enjoy and honor the world he was put in.  His morning prayers began with, “Thank you, Lord, for returning my soul to me.”

When you start that way, the rest of the day is a bonus.

When you think about it, people who know what their purpose is, and channel their time and energy into it, are not distracted by worldly pursuits of riches, property, fame, etc.  They live modestly because they know that material things are temporary.  They focus on their purpose because when they return to God, they can give a good accounting of their time on Earth. 

Towards the end of the chapter, he reinforces this with another lesson. 

     Suddenly, out in the hall, I heard an infant scream, followed by a quick “shhhh!” presumably from its mother.  The Reb heard it, too.
     “Now, that child,” he said, “reminds me of something our sages taught.  When a baby comes into the world, its hands are clenched, right?  Like this?”
     He made a fist.
     “Why? Because the baby not knowing any better, wants to grab everything, to say, ‘The whole world is mine.’
     “But when an old person dies, how does he do so?  With his hands open. Why?  Because he has learned the lesson.”
     What lesson? I asked.
     He stretched open his empty fingers.
     “We can take nothing with us.”

True enough, all the riches and accolades will be meaningless to us after we die.   Consider this, when an emperor establishes an empire, it is something “to leave behind” to his heirs.  Notice that it’s not “to take with me to the next life”, right?  Because deep down we all know that when we die, we can take nothing with us.

In Star Trek: The Next Generation, there is a race of empaths, called Betazed. When they feel that death is near, they lie in bed naked, with only a blanket to cover them.  The bedroom is bare, save for the bed.  They believe that one should depart this life in the manner that one entered it…with nothing.

At the end of the chapter, the Reb finally reveals to Mitch, what he thinks happiness is…

     So, have we solved the secret of happines?
     “I believe so, he said.
     Are you going to tell me?
     “Yes. Ready?”
     Ready.
     “Be satisfied.”
     That’s it?
     “Be grateful.”
     That’s it?
     “For what you have. For the love you receive.  And for what God has given you.”
     That’s it?
     He looked m in the eye.  Then he sighed deeply.
     “That’s it.”

When we are grateful for the things that we receive, we praise God.  It’s an acknowledgement that we own nothing.  Our lives, our possessions are a loan from the Creator.   Whatever we receive is intended to be shared; not hidden under lock and key. When we acknowledge that everything we have are blessings from God, we express our humility.  A humble heart sings praises to the Lord.  It’s happiness rests in Him.