Increase Your Being

December 2, 2021

by Dave Ciaccio, Board Chair

Year-end. A time for reflection. A time to prepare for a new beginning. I don’t know about you, but I often get to this time of year and ask myself some questions.

“Have I done enough to improve the lives of others? Have I expended too many resources on myself? If I am happy, then why am I happy?”

Research shows that money isn’t that important in terms of our overall happiness. It’s relationships that matter. With others and with the things that promote meaning and purpose in our lives.

When I sit with this, I find that giving of myself in some small way to improve the lives of those with Parkinson’s rates highly just behind my faith and family. The time I’ve spent with Parkinson’s Nebraska has given me the gifts of encouragement, understanding, and charity. It’s given me the gift of insight and perspective with a firsthand look at the lives of others with difficulties greater than mine.

I realize that the more I give, the happier I become. Bishop Robert Barron summed this up saying, “Your being increases to the extent in which you give it away… The more you give of your life, even the little you have, you’ll find it multiply in yourself.”

So go ahead and reach out to someone in need. Decide what charities you’d like to give to (hint: Parkinson’s Nebraska) and give back to that cause which is closest to your heart. You might just notice your being increase and multiply.

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