I am at a point where I am taking stock of my life, assessing my work, wondering if I have done any good or made a difference to anyone in anyway.

I am counting the possessions, adding up the resources and projecting at some point I might consider a new chapter.

Someone once wrote, “Measure wealth not by the things you have, but by the things you have for which you would not take money.”

Success and wealth are hard to evaluate for most people in the world.

My wife and I recently were blessed to take a trip. It is not unusual for us to travel, but this time we planned around other plans and mapped out our journey, a journey that would have us drive more than 2,200 miles in eight days.

But on that journey, I baptized my youngest grandson who lives in Virginia and there is no price I would take for that experience.

I spent hours in a vehicle, but more importantly, I spent hours with my wife — time to talk, to laugh, to encourage each other to continue even as we drove 720 miles one day.

It was about spending one afternoon looking out over a lake I couldn’t see across, sometimes talking, sometimes just looking, but always being remined God has always had big plans, powerful creations and vision beyond what we can even imagine.

In a place filled with restaurants, food beyond enough, we found our way to a little café, tucked behind other businesses, sitting by a window that looked out over the dock with boats of all sizes.

She had toast with avocados and cream cheese and I had oatmeal and multi-grain toast with jelly, it was one of the best meals I ate the whole trip.

She asked me if I had had enough and I answered, “yes.”

The food was enough, but the experience, the company, the scenery, the window to the world, time would never allow us to “have enough.”

I laughed as we perused two football fields of Christmas decorations and we walked out with one ornament.

We rented bicycles and set out on an eight-mile journey knowing neither of us had ridden a bike in more than 30 years. We laughed as we wobbled out of town. I sensed people were jumping out of our way and we bemoaned the possibility the miles we were to drive the next day might come with some soreness from our bicycle experience.

And when we survived it, we laughed again and proudly walked onto our next adventure.

Finding an Amish store with meat, cheese and canned anything, we passed hundreds of restaurants on that day’s journey, eating ham salad on crackers and enjoying every bite.

Last Sunday brought another priceless time as we hurried from church to get clothes changed, grab chairs and umbrellas to go sit in the 90-degree weather, on hot astroturf and watch two of our grandsons play flag football.

These are some of my priceless moments, and billion-dollar memories.

It causes me to return to my preacher mode and wonder how God could give his only son to die for a world that has tried from the beginning to shut him out, prove God doesn’t exist and silence those who do believe.

God loves us that much. He reminds me over toast, a window and a million other ways.

We could not pay the price, but God could. If only I could tell you the value of that in your own life, but you won’t know until you come to a priceless cross. Huh, I am rich.

May God be praised.

The Rev. Farley Stuart pastors Winchester First United Methodist Church. He can be reached at farley@winfumc.org.