Treasures

Sometimes I forget.  Do you?  I get caught up in all the big people stuff, the "important" stuff, the stressful stuff, the adult stuff, and I just forget.  I don't do it on purpose.  I don't think any of us do.  And I don't forget because I want to.  I think most of us long to not forget.  But life, in all of its everydays, its mountaintops and its valleys push from our sight the very things we have sworn never to forget.

Today, I remembered.

I remembered when I went on a little nature walk with five little kids; two from Sudan, one from Indiana, one from "here" and one from "her house."  This little group of nature explorers joined me and my helper Graham as we went on a scavenger hunt for all kinds of fun things.  We looked for "something fuzzy" and "something round."  We looked for "two kinds of seeds" and "two different leaves."  We looked for "something beautiful" and for something we would call a "treasure."

Have you ever taken a nature walk with kids?  The tiniest things become the most amazing miracles in a matter of seconds.  Things we walk past on a daily basis and never even glance at can cause a group of kiddos to drop everything, gather around you and make noises as if the fireworks of Independence Day were exploding overhead.  Today in particular the miracles of a giant seed pod, a walnut still covered in green, goldfish in a little pond, and a bug (I don't even know what kind of bug - it flew, that's about all I know) elicited these exclamations of joy from the kids.  For an hour we walked around filling our bags with all things nature-y.   

At the end we gathered together for a "show and tell".  The kids dumped out their bags, we went though our list, and they showed what they got for each item.  Then on the way back, I told them to look for something they would call a "treasure."  Something really special like a sparkly rock or a beautiful flower.  And one little red-headed, super-sweaty, incredibly cute little guy looked up at me, squinted and said, "But I already have a whole bag full of treasures."

And he did.  Because those things he had picked up, and "oohed" and "ahhed" over, and carefully selected from the beautiful property we walked on, those were indeed his treasures.  He saw beauty in each of of the objects he chose.  He saw worth in each rock, stick, leaf and flower.  He saw value in it all.

Beach with the family 

I'll be honest with you all.  I've been mopey this week.  Over the past months as friends were leaving and school was ending and life was transitioning (again), I kept looking forward to VACATION as some beacon of light and expectation of joy to come.  But, as most of you know, after an absolutely fabulous week at the beach with our Indiana family, we came home.  And now there wasn't a vacation to look forward to.  Now stretched before us a hot summer, with an very empty-looking neighborhood and very long days and I got mopey. 

I forgot the treasures.  Like, the chance I'll have with my kids to explore our area and spend time with them without competing with friend time.  Like double dates with friends who are still here and willing to try new restaurants and participate in a trivia night at a coffee house with us.  Like quiet afternoons and long walks in the evening.  Like sleeping in and not setting alarms.  Like Back Porch Art (a fun morning for the kids of Asbury Seminary with fun activities and lots of love) and hour-long conversations with friends on the phone.  And morning devotionals on my front porch and glimpses of God in the joy of community.

Just because there are clouds like friends leaving and bills to pay and schedules to coordinate and decisions to make doesn't mean that sun disappeared.  The treasures are there.  Go look at a flower.  Go play in the rain.  Taste a new food.  Try a new game.  Sit quietly and just remember all the blessings you have had and currently enjoy.  And don't forget to "ooh" and "ahh" and speak the joy that you can find.  Just like my little red-headed friend this morning, find the value, seek the worth, in the the things you have been given.  

Do you know love?  You have a treasure, a beautiful gift, a precious present.  Have you felt the sun on your face?  You have a treasure, a sweet sensation, a quiet moment.  Has God ever whispered to you?  You have a treasure, incomparable riches, inexplicable value.  Have you laughed?  Have you hugged?  Have you shared a meal or been blessed by a friend?  We have "bags" full of treasures, my friends.  The value cannot be overlooked, especially in the moments where we feel most bankrupt.  We need to open up our hearts, look inside our memories, "count our many blessings, name the one by one," and see all the treasures.

I'm glad I remembered today.  

Shout Out to My Girls

You know how they say that you should never go grocery shopping when you are hungry?  I think the equivalent rule for blogging would be that you should never hit that little orange button with the pencil on it when you are full - emotionally full that is.  The sheer number of emotions and thoughts running through my mind make blog-writing more of an place to pour than to write and yet here I sit, compelled to share what fills my heart and mind.

For those of you who read my last blog, you know that we have been going through a season of "lasts" and "goodbyes" here in Wilmore.  Friends and neighbors who have graduated have packed up their homes and families into large orange-and-black trucks and left behind empty houses, sad faces, and many wonderful memories.  This week was a doozy for the whole farewell fiasco.  

Perfect "last day" attire

And yet I come to this blog full, not empty.  My kids had their first "last day" of school here in Wilmore and I could not be more proud of them as a mother than I was today reading their report card and seeing them through the eyes of their various school teachers.  Their report cards were outstanding.  Excellent grades and academic behavior.  But that's not what got me.  What really got me were the awards tucked inside each of their envelopes.  

Each one received two awards from their teachers.  Hannah received one for "Showing Respect" with a  note from her teacher that said, "Your kind heart is your ticket.  I believe in you!"  Naomi received one for the "Outstanding observance of the SMART rules" with a note regarding her excellent classroom behavior.  And they both received the same award for "Treating others the Way You Want to Be Treated." 

As a mom, this one meant the world to me.  Because think about it.  Think about what these girls experienced over the past year.  They left their school, classmates they have had since they started preschool; their church, friends from a small group they belonged to since we started at CBIC; their maternal grandparents, who we lived next door to; aunts, uncles, and cousins, who they saw often in their daily life; and friends, who they were as close to as family.  They left everything familiar and comfortable and they did it because they had to, not because they wanted to or felt called to.  

They came here to a new place, new people, new everything and had to learn and re-learn how to go to school, how to play, how to interact and how to live again.  They had to make new friends and go to a new church and figure out a new life.  And it wasn't easy on them.  But they did it.

Rocking it at the waterfall

No, they ROCKED it!!  I mean, really, they have totally completely and fully rocked this whole "moving to a new state" thing.  Knocked it out of the park.  And today, when they handed me report cards with the equivalent of straight A's (they don't do letter grades here) and some awards that basically said they were kind, thoughtful, loving kids, my mommy buttons about burst.

Because sometimes I don't get to see that strong, beautiful, amazing side of them.  I see the tired, grumpy, chore-avoiding, sister-busting, homework-hiding, bedtime-fighting, messy room-making side of these girls of mine.  I hear the not-kind things said to each other (and then find them sleeping in the same bed the next morning - always baffles me).  I see angry glances and notice grumpy dispositions because, let's face it, I'm "mom" and they are human; worse yet, one's a "tween!"

And yet, we must be doing something right because... well, because in their free time they raise money for the Salvation Army because they heard it was running out of money and couldn't feed the people they'd been serve and because when they found out a new girl was coming from India to join her dad, they and a few other girls worked their tails off to raise money to buy her a scooter and some other fun things and because when they have to say goodbye to a friend, it's not easy and there are many tears and promises to never forget.   

Last Day of School lunch fun

I am proud of these girls.  They have taught me so much.  Today, we got to hang out after school over milkshakes and pizza and they shared with me stories from the last day, plans for the summer and hopes for the future.  We reminisced about the good things that happened this year, laughed about the funny ones, sadly noted the ones we've said goodbye to, and wondered about the ones we will say hello to in the next few months.  I enjoyed them.  I liked being around them.  If they were older and not my kids, I think we'd be friends.  Because they are kind and they treat others the way they want to be treated... even with all their imperfections and flaws.  They feel deeply, love wholeheartedly and live life with gusto.

And there you have it!  My thoughts poured out before you.  I've spared you many of the tears and focused on the thing that has, at least today, brought me great joy.  God has truly surrounded them and protected them as we have gone through this transition and kept their hearts soft to others around them.  Sure they make all the blunders of typical kids and they definitely have their moments of testing the boundaries, but overall I, and apparently some others, can see hearts of kindness and love in them.  May that pour out of them for years to come.  Maybe they will blog about it someday.