Filled with gratitude: An attitude of gratitude
Autumn is the season when every St. Paul member is invited to make a financial commitment for the life and work of St. Paul for the coming year. The vitality of the church depends on your involvement and generous giving. The pledges of St. Paul people are the primary source of monetary support.
Each and every pledge adds up for strong ministry and mission. Please count yourself among the faithful with your financial pledge for Daily Ministry in 2022. Together we are grateful.
An attitude of gratitude
My parents grew up in the Great Depression of the 1930s. Astonishingly, nearly a hundred years ago! As was true for so many Americans at that time, my parents and their families made do with what little was available. They wasted nothing. Growing up, I don’t recall either of them complaining about not having much, but I do recall them sharing memories of what they did to make ends meet. One of my favorite stories, told by my father, involved his learning to drive as a 10-year-old. This was specifically for the sake of assisting his father in selling and delivering bread door-to-door. He’d ease the truck down the street as my grandfather went back and forth from the truck to different homes, delivering bread. Apparently, a ten-year-old behind the wheel made the process all that much more efficient.
In talking about their early years, my parents never expressed bitterness and never lamented what they didn’t have. In fact, they voiced appreciation for their entire experience of childhood, reminiscing about how every family member chipped in and did their part to make life as good as it could be.
From day one, my parents conveyed to my siblings and me their appreciative nature and their strong faith foundation. For my life today, it’s faith and a sense of gratitude for life’s many blessings that continue to provide the structure and principles with which to address the challenges of every day. It may be cliché to say so, but, for me, an “attitude of gratitude,” coupled with the trust that “God’s will be done,” provides that inner peace that carries me through every new day that’s full of challenge and opportunity.
— Mark Haring
Georgeann Kreiter
Thank you, Mark, for me to better understand what my sisters and I dealt with as children. Many things my parents enabled for us as a farm family. I know now that they helped us in many ways to have what we needed, not always what we wanted!