Some may question the validity of sweepstakes, and the time invested in them. As with everything, it is all about choice.

I can look back over the many years I have been sweepstaking and think about all of the hours I have spent entering contests that I have never won, but I can also look around my house and see the rewards of my labor. My big screen television, digital camera, patio furniture, and Ducane grill are proof that there is a way to obtain things in this life that I could not normally afford. And isn’t that what we are all trying to do? Have the finer things in life without maxing out our charge cards and borrowing from Peter to pay Paul?

I have been on trips to places I would never have gone, and been treated like royalty along the way. San Francisco; the seals barking, the cool wind carrying the pungent scent of salt water, street vendors luring me towards their displays of goodies and the air alive with trolley bells tolling. And Disney World, carrying me back to my lost childhood as Mickey Mouse prances down the street and children laugh as teacups twirl them into Never Never Land.

The gifts I have been able to give my children out of my abundance, that I would never have been able to give them, is also a great motivator. My son calling to thank me for the $500 grocery gift card he received while he was in college, my daughter flashing her diamond tennis bracelet I had won her. The thanks I received from the kids at the college dorm for the case of cereal they received, along with the year’s worth of popcorn and movie rentals. It’s great being Santa Claus all year long.

So when I consider if sweepstaking is really a worthwhile endeavor, with the odds so against me, I have to say “yes.” I am not one who considers the odds, because if I did, there isn’t much in this world I would attempt, because most of the influence around us is very negative. Call me a dreamer, but it’s hard for someone to try and convince me that all of my time entering sweepstakes is not constructive. All I have to do is pull out my picture album or my 1099’s, and the facts are there for me to see.

Would I call my hours invested in sweepstaking wise? Hmmm…let me think about it while I go sit outside on my deluxe patio furniture and cook some hotdogs on my $4000 grill. I’ll get back to you on that!

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To find out more about Editor and Author Sandy Lovern, please visit www.engaged-devotional.com!