That's Really Not That Much...

As most of you know, the brother closest to me in age won $1 million dollars in the Power Ball Lottery a couple weeks ago. Our family was so happy and excited for him, and it has made a fantastic conversation starter for me with friends and strangers.

An interesting twist has been happening with friends that I know well when we discuss this exciting, curious event. These have all been friends who are similar to Buds and me socio-economically, which is a critical factor. Several friends, and Buds and I even said to each other shortly after George’s win, “A million dollars isn’t really that much.”

Taken in context, all of us are folks on the side closer to maturity than childhood. We have children and homes and vacation plans and retirement dreams.

I understand.

Living the lives we do, it really isn’t that much money considering the adventures we’d like to have.

Yet when the third person said, “It really isn’t that much money,” in connection with my brother’s lottery winnings, it really gave me pause.

$1 million dollars.

$1 million dollars.

What sort of a life do I have that I said, “It really isn’t that much money.”

Think about that.

There are children who live within 5 miles of me, probably 1 mile of me, who are sitting in their classrooms with empty stomachs.

There will be eight homeless gentlemen sleeping on air mattresses in the sanctuary of my church in one week. They will have slept on air mattresses in 7 different congregations between now and then.

The horrors and fear and needs could be listed endlessly. We all know about them.

I don’t have some grand, make myself feel better wrap up to this essay.

This economic disparity isn’t something that’s likely to change. Buds and I are at a certain economic level, and thanks to the family base we come from, the odds are very good that should our personal economics fall apart, there’s only so far we would fall.

And there’s no false modesty here. Buds and I have worked hard and made solid decisions for many, many frugal years now. But, we started on a higher platform than so many other people.

$1 million dollars.

A point worth pondering.