Treasure

Lotto 649 this week is 10 million dollars.  When I think of what I would like to do with all that money, I feel envious and frustrated at whoever wins. 

I do not… win that is… not even the price of the ticket!

So where is my treasure? 

In my house?  Nope, the economy saw to that!

In my bank account?  … Economy again!

My jewelery?    LOL!

Toys?   I have none.

But oh, did it snow today and it was beautiful.  It covered all the dirt and muck from the melting in the last few days and now everything is clean and pristine.  Tonight the hill behind my house glows  in the reflected light of the town and it is sooo quiet.    The shadows are so blue and the snow shapes so smooth and immaculate.

Last night it was so cold out and the stars!  Oh, they were so bright and intense.  I could even count the Pliades, I counted nine.  The Big Dipper was standing on its handle and Scorpio was on its tail…I think.  Orion’s Belt stood out so bright.  Then I was too cold and had to go in.

Then my daughter called.  We chatted about her day and compared notes on ideas and differences in our lives.  We laughed and listened and learned from each other.

The cat, George was asleep on the couch .  He was on his back with his paws limp on his chest and his hind feet draped against the arm of the couch.  He was so asleep and comfortable he didn’t move when I went to bed.

Another daughter called and she talked on about the brilliance and ability of my granddaughter.  She shared her joy over the friendships she’s building and how their homegroup will help her sister move when its time.

The other cat, Tuna, curled up on my chest while I read for while in bed.  She does get in the way so I finally pet her and then she purrs and snuggles until I put the book away and give her all my attention.

I was thanked today for my efforts with a child I work with.  I was hugged by another child.  Three boys helped me willingly and responsibly when the snow plow came to plow out the school and we had to keep the driveway clear of children.  I was so proud of their attitudes and help.

Hmmm, what was I talking about earlier?  Ah, yes.  Treasure.  I am very rich.

I’ve dreamed of wealth,

To have enough

to do my heart’s desire.

I’ve thought of fame,

of doing things to shake a world’s empire.

But tonight I found my treasure,

Though not in the way I’d planned.

It lay there, gently resting,

in my second daughter’s hand.

So innocent; without concern 

Soft, snuggled by her Bear,

Her face relaxed, slow breathing,

As she lay sleeping there.

Her busy fingers quiet,

from the ructions of her day.

Her eyelids quickly fluttering

with dreams about her play.

This wealth no bank account could hold,

No Stock Exchange would see.

To be loved and teased and trusted,

That’s all the treasure that I need.

Feb. 26, 1992

Copyright-Marian Tidsbury

Pearls

One day, due to currents on the ocean bottom and motion that was irresistible, a grain of sand was deposited inside the shell of an oyster.

The grain of sand had no life of its own and just stayed where it was placed.  The oyster did have life and a nervous system that registered the presence of the grain of sand. 

Within the oyster’s abilities is the mechanism that excretes nacre, a smooth, lustrous material that layer upon layer coats the grain of sand, protecting the delicate tissue of the oyster.

Somewhere in the forgotton annals of time, someone discovered these unusual growths within the oyster’s shell and decided they were valuable.   Over the millenea, pearls have been sought, fought over and bought for great prices and sacrifice.

In the Gospel of Matthew Jesus tells the story of the Pearl of Great Price. Today I heard the story told as I have never understood it before. Jesus said, ” The Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant searching for pearls.” He finds the one wonderful pearl and gives everything he owns to purchase and own that pearl.

All of my life I have been taught that this is the story of me as the merchant searching for the kingdom of God and giving my all to own it. BUT…

Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching…
Where God is, heaven is, so this is God doing the searching for the pearl that He would give everything to own.

I am the pearl. We are the pearls that He gave His all to own. Our value is in His search. Our value is because He considers us valuable.

Oh, I know I am just a piece of sand covered in shiny stuff not of my making, but His desire for me is what creates my value. His search for me and the price He paid erases any doubt that He sees worth and a future and a hope. He values me! He wants me! He loves me!

Amazing love,
How can it be,
That Thou my God
Shouldst die for me!
-Charles Wesley

Unavoidable Losses?

I awoke this morning . I got out of bed and made myself a cup of tea, which I drank, steamy, creamy hot. Propped against pillows, I finished a book I had started yesterday, thoroughly enjoying it. I hung up my P.J.’s and got dressed for church.
Leaving the house, I drove across town to church and spent the morning with people I love and shared experiences, thoughts and ideas. There was a wonderful time in the presence of God worshipping Him, corporate and well as in my private time with Him.
I was very aware of the absence of one friend who spends the winter in Arizona. Another friend is in Germany, and yet another moved away and I don’t see her at all anymore.
While my day was not earth-shaking, it was filled with losses necessary for the forward going of my life:
I needed to wake up, losing the continued state of sleeping.
I had to get out of bed to make my cup of tea. (Some very enterprising person might figure out a way to make tea in bed, but I am not that one!)
I drank the tea I made. This is an unavoidable loss in there is really no point in making tea unless I drink it.
I finished the book. Had I just held the closed book in my hands, I would not have enjoyed the story which is the whole reason people write.
I lost the P.J.’s for clothing more appropriate for public viewing and lost the current time in my house for the time in the church building.
I fight loss.  I don’t notice that life is filled with losses.  Life cannot move forward unless there is loss.  To be alive is to experience loss.  Yet I can’t let go of so many things.   Loss brings cleansing, freedom and change.  Loss also hurts.  I think loss must be like gravity;  as a human I cannot escape its influence, and like gravity, if not respected, loss can cause harm  and even death can result.
I think loss has to be re-thought.  Why do we save, hoard and collect.  Jesus Himself said our treasure is in Heaven.

Somewhere in these thoughts there is a key to freedom.