7 Dec 2020_Thought of the day_Gratitude

7 Dec 2020

Dear All, Happy Monday,

Hello Everyone, This is Chaplain Sung Kim. I am Deputy CMD CH in the 63d

Readiness Division. I pray you are well.

One of the great mysteries of our culture is that we are the most privileged

and prosperous people who have ever lived on the face of the earth and yet

many Americans are not happy. We have more of everything, and yet we are

not content. Even when good things happen we figure out why it was not good

enough. By any measure of affluence - health care, leisure, technology -

the average American enjoys a quality of life beyond anyone's dreams even a

few decades ago. Only 100 years ago, what a difference a century makes. The

average life expectancy in the US was forty-seven. There were only 8,000

cars in the US. We have more of everything except happiness

Somehow we have lost the sense of wonder about life. We have stopped seeing

how simple, how good and wonderful life can be. The Roman orator Cicero

called gratitude not only the "greatest of virtues, but the parent of all

others." But many people are facing life with a daily sense of dread rather

than a daily sense of thankfulness.

The perfect example of this was the Oprah Winfrey show. The 276 audience

members were selected because friends or family had written about their need

for a new car. Oprah called 11 people and gave each of them a brand new

Pontiac G6. Then she distributed a gift box to everyone in the audience,

telling them that one of them contained the keys to a 12th new car. But

when the audience opened the boxes, each one had a set of keys. Oprah

jumped up and down and yelled: "Everybody gets a car! Everybody gets a car."

But now the people who received the new cars are complaining. The IRS is

going to take a sizable bite out of their pocket, because the $28,000, which

is the value of the car, will be added to their income for this year.

What are you most thankful for in life? Perhaps, it's food on the table. Or,

a bed to sleep in at night. With Holiday Season around the corner, there's

no better time to practice appreciation and thankfulness than the present. I

outline creative ways to do just that.

Have a blessed day! Blood and Fire!

Here is the direct email and phone number for anyone requesting support

From the 63d RD Chaplain office,

usarmy.usarc.63-rsc.list.chaplain-all-users@mail.mil

650-526-9668

Very Respectfully,

Sung N. Kim

LTC, Chaplain

Deputy Command CH

CH Personnel Manager

Office: 650-526-9214

Govt Mobile: 650-636-3393

Email: sung.n.kim.mil@mail.mil