The Good Life?

George MacDonald wrote, "Which one is the possessor of heaven and earth: He who has a thousand houses, or he who, with no house to call his own, has ten at which his knock arouses instant jubilation?"

Of course, this is a false dichotomy. It's certainly possible to own a thousand houses AND live in a refrigerator box under the overpass AND arouse instant jubilation with a knock at the homes of any number of friends, but the point is obvious: materialism does not produce happiness. Neither does poverty. What matters is the friends we make along our journey.

It's not enough to make friends. Those special relationships need to be nurtured and maintained over time. Otherwise, the houses in MacDonald's analogy fall into disrepair.

My home state's motto is, "Nebraska: the Good Life." Hat's off to delgoff for his hauntingly beautiful photo taken near Grand Island, NE (all rights reserved) http://www.flickr.com/photos/delgoff/2551472526/ It reminds me of the old homestead near Ansley, NE.

Home is where the heart is. The quality of one's life is reflected in the quality of one's relationships.