Sometimes I struggle as to what this week’s blog should be about, but not this week. I’ve had the experience of having a common theme presented to me twice this week by two different people.(That must be what I’m to write about, right?) Both of these presenters are pastors, one lives in Valentine, Nebraska and one in Spearfish South Dakota. They do not know each other as far as I know, but each of them know me and each had a similar message with a little different twist; both equally valuable. Bruce, in Valentine, shared his written message with all of his Facebook friends – one of which is me. Doug, in Spearfish, shared his verbal message through the pulpit this morning at church. Each of their messages hit home with me, because they spoke of treasures that might be found when cleaning out a parent’s or a grandparent’s home or shop. My siblings and I did this recently when we took on the task of clearing out my parent’s home so that a niece and her family could move in. Dad resides in Heaven now; Mom resides at the Cottonwood – an assisted living facility.
Bruce and his siblings just this last week finished cleaning out their parents’ house in Ainsworth Nebraska. (Bruce’s mom lives across the golden street from Dad now, and his dad lives down the hall from my mom at the Cottonwood.) He writes about going through the boxes in his folks’ basement and unearthing the treasures you always find in basements of that generation. Photos, newspaper clippings of family members’ accomplishments, obituaries of those that have passed, and just things that you think you’ll organize someday, but instead are invariably left for the kids to sift through. Most of the things out of his folks’ basement and those from my parents’ basement are finding companionship at the city dump. What was reiterated to Bruce through this experience and can be a reminder to us as well, is that life is fleeting and fragile. In Bruce’s words, “we better invest in what really matters…and lasts. That is God, people, faith, family, and friendships.”
This morning Pastor Doug used scripture in Luke 15 – the parable of the lost sheep and the parable of the lost coin to tell us how we are the lost sheep and the lost coin, but because we are a valuable treasure to God, He searches for us high and low – just as the shepherd sought after his lost lamb – until He finds us. It doesn’t matter how ugly our life has been – He pursues us. Pastor Doug brought along an old toolbox of his grandfather’s to illustrate what someone else might consider just a piece of junk, was to him a great treasure. This tool box not only stored tools for Pastor Doug, but many fond memories of his grandfather and him working side by side with that old toolbox between them. These treasures are dear to our hearts, just like we are dear to God’s heart.
When we cleaned out my parent’s house, I came home with very few treasures, but they were the ones that meant something to me. The old “earcorn” salt and pepper shakers had been around longer than I had been. (Is 61 plus considered an antique? I hope not.) Those shakers sat in the middle of our kitchen table three times a day. My parents’ hands, not to mention my siblings and my own would have left their print on those shakers at least once a day. (Some of us seasoned heavier than others.) I can’t think of anything else in that household that would have been more shared among us all than those ears of corn. When asked what I would like out of the house, I shouted, “the earcorn salt and pepper shakers!” They continue to be used every day as they sit beside my stove. Another treasure that I brought home was a large, old professional photograph. My great grandmother, Minnie Ristow Schultz stands at the far right on this photo. By the time I knew her, she was gray haired, stooped, and deaf. This picture reminds me that we are all young at some point, but life continues on from there. Great Grandma Schultz may have loved to skip rope and hug puppies just as I did when I was a girl. Maybe she even collected rocks from her driveway and kept them in a shoebox. When I look at that picture I am connected to each one of them, for they are family.
As important as we sometimes think our earthly treasures are, how much more valuable are our treasures in heaven. The souls we help to find their way are our true treasures.
Until next week – if you keep on readin’, I’ll keep on writin’.
