Living Beneath Our Means

If we seem determined to live well above our means in our physical existence, we seem all too content to live well beneath our means spiritually.

Thanksgiving has its own set of symbols -- turkeys, pilgrims, pumpkins and Indian corn. But the symbol that best expresses the abundance that Thanksgiving celebrates is the cornucopia. The cornucopia is an ancient symbol used in both Greek and Roman mythology. In some myths, the goat Amalthea, whose milk fed the infant Zeus, was said to have a horn that was always filled with whatever anyone wanted to eat or drink. In other tales the Roman goddess of plenty, named "Copia," always wore or carried a horn filled with fruits and drinks. The magical horn of plenty was always full; its abundance could never be exhausted.

One remarkable thing about Thanksgiving is that it has been less commercialized than many other holidays on our calendar, especially Christmas or Easter. There are still many families who would never dream of saying grace before meals that suddenly feel compelled to offer up some form of thanks before carving up the fatted bird and diving into the dressing.

Yet our...