Hold ALL things Loosely

I am blessed in so many ways. I've lived a very FULL life even though I'm young. A lot of times we measure our worth by material possessions. It can be a struggle not to compare our own possessions to others. I never really thought I was "materialistic." I guess I just think of myself as a collector of memories. I treasure things that have a memory or a story. Special things that others might not think are so special. The truth is every single thing that I have no matter it's value to me or someone else isn't really mine. All that I have was loaned to me by my Father in heaven.  All that I have on this earth is temporary, not everlasting. My life,  my health, my family, my dog, my treasures, my computer, this blog, my friends... they don't belong to me. It can all be taken away. That's why I'm reminded to,

I've been burglarized. It was the worst most violating feeling. They took things that I cherished like my grandmother's precious jewelry that I had stored away in a handmade jewelry box my husband made for me. All of it gone, including the box. You might remember reading about this when I shared Blanca's Story.  They also took from me an entire box of cards and notes I had collected throughout out the years. The box was a locked treasure chest that I guess they thought was locked because it had valuables in it. They didn't even take our TV or computer. Why? Why did they have to take my memories?

Since being burglarized it's been hard not to hold things tight. There are very few things that I have left of my grandmother's. I did have a very special deviled egg dish that was my great grandmother's. I adored that dish so much and have used it many times. Deviled eggs are one of my favorite foods.

My health has been failing me and I've been pushing myself to be normal, to be my age. Before I had surgery a few weeks ago. We had been working hard redoing our kitchen and one evening when my husband was away I decided to carry some boxes down from upstairs to put in the kitchen. It was one of the last boxes we needed to unpack. I was bringing the last box down and started to feel myself weaken and the box slip from my hands. The box went tumbling down the stairs. Praise God I didn't. I knew I needed a break but just kept pushing. The only thing that broke in that entire box was my grandmother's deviled egg dish. Sometimes our bodies do fail us no matter our age.

My husband came home to find me balling on my knees. I held that dish tight. I had big plans for that dish in my new kitchen. I was going to put in on display and share it and it's story with others. My heart is broken. But it's just a dish. It doesn't really matter. I can't take it with me when I die. There are so many losses that we suffer on this earth. That's why we must remember what Corrie Ten Boom said,

“Hold everything in your hands lightly, otherwise it hurts when God pries your fingers open.”