Thanksgiving at St Matt’s: Love this

Our friends, Rob and Linda Merola, are at St Matthew’s in Sterling VA — and they opened the church for Thanksgiving for all.

I talked to  a woman who otherwise would’ve spent Thanksgiving alone.  She was from England and had no family in the states.   She was so grateful for that her neighbors from St. Matt’s had cared enough to invite her.  I heard several stories like this, and was touched by every one.

I love  the words of the brilliant scientist Joshua Greene when he writes,

“If there’s one thing that we’ve learned from research on happiness, it’s that additional income (above a fairly modest level) adds relatively little to one’s happiness.   Some research suggests that additional income above a modest level adds nothing at all… After decades of research, the weak relationship between wealth (above a modest level) and happiness is more like a law of human nature. Past a certain point, wealth simply doesn’t bring happiness.”

But you know what?  Being part of something larger than ourselves, belonging to a community that transcends our little tribes, and helping others  does!