Yesterday
someone broke into my home and stole several thousand dollars worth of
possessions from Bruce and me. They also stole some things from me that were
passed down from my grandparents and my dad who is no longer living. I am sad
that someone chose to invade my life and help themselves to what did not belong
to them. Such is the brokenness of the world we live in. Here are some thoughts
that this event churned up inside of me.
I
have the great pleasure of being in California this week spending time with my
family. I love my family. No one knows me like they do and they choose to love
me anyway. I have been blessed with a family that will stick by me through
thick and through thin. We have shared many joys and many sorrows together.
Sometimes our relationships have been tested but we have always turned back
toward one another. We do this because we are a family and so we choose love.
When
I was a little girl and a member of the youngest generation of my family I had
a great since of belonging. I felt like I was a part of two tribes. One was my
dad’s family and the other was my mom’s family. They were very different tribes
and I loved being a member of both of them. I learned how to relate to God,
other people, and the world through the influence of my family. Children learn
through observation and I remember doing a lot of watching and learning as a
child. I was the youngest child in my immediate family and I had thirty-two
first cousins that were older than me so I had many people to look up to.
As
a young adult I began having children of my own and I began the cycle all over
again for my children. I wanted my children to grow up with a strong tribal
connection to their family. Bruce and I cultivated a close relationship for our
children with their grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. I believe that it
is important to know who you are and where you come from because this gives us a sense of belonging and grounding in the
world. I love the influence that my parents and Bruce’s parents have had on my
children as they have been finding their way in life. I’m thankful for the
relationships that exist with my children and their aunts and uncles. This
gives them someone to look up to and learn from as they journey through the ups
and downs that life brings. I’m thankful for the relationships that have
developed with my children and their cousins. These are their peers and
hopefully, they will be a strength to them for a lifetime.
Now
my children are having children. It is time for them to pass this heritage on
to my grandchildren. I love being with my grandchildren. Yesterday, I was
reading and my grandson, Noah, who is five years old asked me what I was
reading about. I told him that I was reading about relationships. He said,
“What is a relationship?” I explained to him what our relationship was and then
what other relationships were with other people in his life. It is so much fun
to have these spontaneous moments with him. He is a very inquisitive child and
we have great conversations. Being a grandmother is the greatest gift in the
world. I love that Noah asks everyday that I am staying at his house how much
longer I am going to stay. He never wants me to leave. It feels good to be so
loved and wanted by him. I believe that this is how God sees me and loves me.
God looks forward to being with me everyday. God doesn’t want me to leave
because of the love relationship that we have with one another.
So
where is my treasure? It is with things that are eternal. My relationships with
the people in my life are eternal. The things that will have lasting meaning
for me are the relationships in my life. My tribe will carry on long after I
have taken my last breath on earth. Many generations will come after me and
although I will be forgotten, my life will carry on into eternity.
Sell
your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that
will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no
thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where
your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
