When a favorite relative of mine announced she was marrying her partner for the past decade, I was thrilled for her.

They were getting married by a justice of the peace with no one present. But I wanted to do something nice for her so I sent a card and sizable check.

She called me to say she was sending the check back because she and her partner are “rich.”

I think I need to stop here and tell you what she regards as “rich.”

“We have jobs, a roof over our heads and food in the refrigerator. There are so many people in the world who are hurting. They have nothing, not even enough food,” she said.

She told me they want to continue to live simple lives without striving for more and hoped I wouldn’t be insulted that she was going to send the check back.

“My riches are all around me - someone to love and share my life, the incredible beauty of nature all around us and the peace that fills us whenever we bike together or walk in the woods. That’s all we need,” she told me.

I need to tell you the peace she now has in her life is what they call “hard won.”

I won’t violate her privacy by telling you details but trust me when I say she had a hard life and had to endure more than any child should have to face.

But she refused to be a victim. To this day she works hard to maintain the peace in her life. Unlike most of us, she refuses to go on Facebook and shuns listening to news that would only depress her.

Personal peace is a rather fragile gift. Many of us have to work hard and pray often to find that peace. And we have to be vigilant to keep that peace because it can slip away, especially in this pandemic.

I was happy to learn she and I feed our peaceful moments by spending time in nature and by cultivating a grateful heart for every single blessing.

We both believe a grateful heart is a happy heart, and we both know we have so much for which to be grateful.

That’s why she says she’s “rich.”

She and I agreed she would tear up the wedding check I sent her. Instead, I would donate the money to a local charity that feeds the hungry and helps the poor.

To commemorate her wedding, I donated the money in her name to our local St. Vincent de Paul Society because I know every cent they receive goes to help the poor.

They sent her a letter telling how many families they were able to help and how much food they were able to provide, thanks to her donation.

She was thrilled.

That was two weeks ago and I still continue to reflect on how extraordinary she is to live a simple life with simple pleasures and little in the way of materialism.

I love the fact that she knows she is “rich” with things that have nothing to do with money or possessions.

One thing that social distancing has done for many of us during this pandemic is that it has given us time to think about how rich we are.

Few of us spend these COVID-19 days longing for more stuff. Instead, many of us long for more time with family and friends.

One of my close friends bought a beautiful half-million dollar house a few years ago. Yet, almost from the time she moved in she’s been looking to sell that house and buy a better one. I’ve spent plenty of days going house hunting with her to find the home that will make her happy.

She called me this week with her big news. I won’t be going with her anymore to look at homes.

“I’m happy with the one I have,” she said.

After a serious battle with the COVID-19 virus that almost killed her, my friend said she looks at life with fresh eyes.

“I look around my home and think about the story behind what I see here. I think about the way my late husband and I had fun making that home our own. So many good memories reside here,” she said.

She used a word I haven’t heard her use before. She said she’s content.

We had a nice discussion about how freeing it is to be content with what we have.

One thing COVID-19 taught many of us is that possessions aren’t as important as the people in our life.

My friend says she now spends time thinking about all the many people who came into her life but are gone. Even though she can no longer be with them, she says she reflects on what a blessing each person was to her.

Part of being rich is realizing how many enrich our life.

I’ve always known that I’m rich.

I know that riches have nothing to do with how much money we have, the size of our home, or how many possessions we call our own.

It has to do with being aware of every single blessing we have and being thankful for each one.

What about you?

How rich are you and what makes you feel rich?

Contact Pattie Mihalik at newsgirl@comcast.net.