I enjoyed Tim Townsend’s article, The Mormon Index, that appeared on the front page of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on January 22. Tim discussed how some economists look at the numbers of people using the Mormon welfare program to gauge the economy.

It’s an obscure index, one that was lost on me though I am a Latter-day Saint (LDS or Mormon). My view of the welfare system of the Church is as an insider who has been benefited by it. I don’t think too many LDS, with the exception of a few LDS economists, were aware of “The Mormon Index” until reading Tim’s article.

The Church’s welfare program is supported by a facility that typically includes a food storehouse, a cannery, an employment resource center, and a family counseling center. The Bridgeton facility in St. Louis Missouri is a central focus in Tim’s article.

My family has been benefited by the facility. In the past, when we’ve needed to stretch…

A wise person once asked a crowd “What is the definition of gratitude towards God?”. Someone replied “if you receive bounties from God enjoy them, if you do not be patient”. “But even the dogs in the street do this”, said the wise person. “To be truly grateful means if you receive bounties from God share them with others and if you have nothing to share then give thanks to God“.

It is hard for most of us to realize how much our life have compared to someone even 100 years ago; we live in a time of almost limitless abundance. But we lose sight of this, especially in the current global economic turmoil when most of us are seeing our savings and investments being diminished with astonishing speed.  Right now is a good time to count our blessings.

Good health, family, a sound mind, clean air and water, good food, this list…