This is a personal story of Thanksgiving and celebration for the kindness of the people in my community. These two folks in the photo above – and countless others – help give my life meaning and purpose. On the left is Tim Reilly – he’s retired. He’s selfless, like Sr. Theresa in the center. She leads Daughters of Charity in Bridgeport. My spiritual brothers help support her cause, which is serving the poorer among us that live in Bridgeport, CT.
They need food, clothing and shelter. Tim and I drove the church van down to Bridgeport one morning this week to deliver baby items to Sr. Theresa and turkeys and food to Thomas Merton House a few blocks further down the city streets. Over the last few weeks, all of the items we delivered had been gathered, sorted and assembled by hundreds of good samaritans of St. Rose of Lima Church in Newtown, CT. My simple honor was delivering the items, sharing time with Tim and receiving the kind blessings of Sr. Theresa. She’s a living saint in my book of life.
My charitable work – despite how challenging it can be to break my daily routines – reminds me how beautiful life is and how grateful I am for all of the people in my little part of the world. Life is short. Life is beautiful and the love and kindness we share with each other gives my life meaning and purpose. Charity, truth, compassion and love are critical values that drive the character of my life. These in turn feed my purpose to help others. I like making complex things simple and easy to understand, while helping my clients achieve their goals efficiently and timely.
So… I’m grateful for my financial planning vocation and especially grateful to my clients, my friends and my community, who I help and who help me in so many ways.
Therefore, when we’re challenged financially with retirement, college bills, job loss or becoming frail in old age, please try to remember to be grateful for whatever we have – for the resources we steward during the limited time we have here among each other.
Let’s make our plans together as best we can to find ways to minimize taxes and expenses, maximize our resources and meet our goals. But let’s also remain true to our unique purpose in life. The one that transcends the mundane, overcomes all obstacles and the one that sets us firmly on our path to a joyful and fulfilling life. Sr. Theresa shows us that there is always something for us to do in loving and helping others. I’m grateful for her example and for you, dear reader. Thank you.
Happy Thanksgiving!