A cousin of mine has been very successful in several business ventures. He has worked hard over many years and has accumulated wealth and property. He has the accouterments of wealth that one might expect in the form of homes, cars, boats, an airplane, and a farm in the country. This cousin has traveled extensively pursuing his interests and passions. Along the way, his family fell apart and he has experienced a lot of heartache and pain. His “success” has not really brought him the peace of mind and satisfaction that he thought it would.

The bare trees make a silhouette on the horizon in the winter morning light, beautiful to behold in the cold, clear, crisp air. Not much traffic on a Saturday morning, a far cry from the crowded traffic on roadways on weekday commutes for most workers.

The radio news is relatively quiet, except for analysis of the still-ongoing political issues and talk about the big games scheduled for the weekend.

Now there is a really dumb idea! In this age of "latch-key" children in which the parenting of small children is often left to the hired help, the concept of shifting the burden of child care to others is very popular.

I was reading the comics today (not as much fun as it was when I was a kid, to be sure, but still a pleasant diversion in the morning) and one of the comic strips caught my eye.

"What's the use? Life is futile, nothing will turn out right." This really is a dumb and very sad idea. Many people have this approach to life and are overcome with a feeling of hopelessness and futility. And, this is not a new phenomenon.