Welcome!
This blog is the outcome of many years (most of my life!) of reflection on what it means to live a truly rich life. As you might imagine, I’m not talking about richness in the material sense. The richness I seek is a life filled with the joy of family and friends, work worth doing, and an abiding contentment in simple pleasures. For me, richness is not a function of how much money I have or spend. Rather, it is an expression of an inner sense of God-given worth and gratitude for my many blessings.
I’m sure I developed this attitude from my mom. Growing up in a military family we didn’t have much money, but I never felt poor. Mom made everything seem special. She turned left-overs into wonderful soups and cut our peanut butter sandwiches into fancy shapes. She was a gifted seamstress and sewed most of our clothes. Some girls may have felt funny in a home-made dress. Through mom’s way of seeing the world I felt great in my one-of-a-kind designer clothes. Mom taught us to see the cup as half full, not half empty. This lesson has carried me forward through life in good times and hard times. I feel so fortunate to have had her as a role model as a child and that I still can call upon her wisdom today.
So what’s living richly got to do with SHARE? Everything. SHARE is based on the idea of people working together in order to do more with less. SHARE offers simple food, simple packaging and is spread by word-of-mouth. You will find SHARE in a church basement or community center rather than a fancy grocery store. A volunteer packs your bag, not a clerk. It’s friendly and fun and saves you money. SHARE can give a sense of belonging that goes beyond a shopping experience.
Through this blog I invite you to explore with us the practice of living richly. I think there is plenty learn about this idea! Certainly we will post ideas about how to use SHARE food to eat well for less money, including menu plans and recipes. We will also post thoughts on enjoying life’s simple pleasures. I welcome your insights and observations and look forward to all the richness you have to share.
