My mother asked
me "Are you rich?" I laughed with surprise at the question. "But of
course," I said, " I am so rich in my heart, in my affection, in my
love and in my life that no amount of money could match my wealth."
She asked again, "But are you rich?" and I replied again - "Yes, for
what I earn from the universe, from the hard toil of each day, from
the long, laborious hours of work and for what I spend, share and
give to others, I am rich." For her, that meant power and
satisfaction for having helped create a being like me, for having
given the world a being to share.
Affluence does not lie
in the coffers at a bank or ornaments of gold and precious stones in
a safe or even brick and stone laid in extravagance. It lies in
the heart, set amidst compassion, love, generosity and kindness to
humanity.