In Search of Greatness On Sunday Morning

In search of greatness many of us find true greatness is found within the soul. Although many of us, especially in our early years, think that greatness lies in material wealth, faraway foreign lands, or exciting adventures, with aging many of us find it is within ourselves. I was having a discussion with my twin brother, David, the other day and though we rarely agree on anything, we did on this point. God would not place human beings in situations where happiness is only obtainable through material wealth, great travels, or exciting adventures. Could it not be possible that happiness and God both reside in our core being, our souls? Do we spend our life times searching for something, that actually resides within us? I have come to the realization that we create our own happiness with acceptance of what is important and true greatness. I have not come to this conclusion alone, but rather with the help of others. The older I get the less I need material things. One of my pleasures of not working professionally any more will be the freedom to not worry about what I'm wearing, to not have to adhere to someone's "dress code", that many times forbid flip flops. I love not the designer labels but the clearance rack. There is such liberation in being happy from within, knowing that material things do not define a person.  In this past decade, in my circle of life, it has become perfectly clear that all of us age and not so gracefully at times.  That there is no fountain of youth and at the end the soul is all that remains intact. Yet, do we nurture our souls they way we should, or do we spend more time acquiring goods to try and fill our souls? Is it not true that many of us wish we knew at 20 or 30 what we know now?  Do we find ourselves wishing we could spontaneously relay to our children the knowledge we have gathered over the generations so that they may do it differently. I find myself in my 5th decade of life spending more time soul searching, call it meditation or praying or even trying to come to terms with the oneness of the universe. I have found family to be much more important in the last year to me than the things money can buy. We have a house hold full of things passed down from previous generations that are that, just things. I look forward to family time. I feel that true greatness is in all of us, is our God given talents, our families, our friendship, our faith, and our abilities to reach out and help others. I think that perhaps the world would be better if we each concentrated on our souls and talents and how we could best help each other with what God has given each of us.