I have always been a big fan of Charlie Chaplin. I collect his memorabilia and have most of his films on video in my collection. A few years ago I read his autobiography and greatly enjoyed it. Charlie was a great comedian but he was also a fierce business man.

At the age of 8 he was without a father, his brother was off to war and his mother was committed to an institution. He lived on the streets until he eventually landed a role in a vaudeville traveling show. His life was very hard and he learned to appreciate the small graces of life.

Years later after Charlie found great success he did not forget those hard years. Chaplins movies would often make him a million dollars. Just think about that in light of the fact that you could go see his movie for just one nickle. He did not allow the fame or money to make him greedy or unappreciative.

He tells the story of how some actor friends tried to get him to join them in the stock market where they were making tons of money. They wanted him to take the little he had in the bank and millions he had in his mattress and put it into stocks. Their final plea came one day before the great stock market crash that led to the Great Depression. He refused and the rest is history.

As we look at the difficult times we are in right now, it is important for us to focus on the little graces of life. We do have so much to be thankfurl. Chaplin is inspirational in that he looked for the opportunity in the times in which he lived. He used his gifts to bring joy to a hurting world.

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