Countless, Worthless, Priceless Treasures

I have the good fortune to be married to a woman who understand the intrinsic value of things. She sees the beauty and wonder that God scatters upon the path in front of her, and takes the time to stop and enjoy it, living so much more in the moment than me. One of her favorite pastimes is looking for sea glass and shells when we’re walking on the beach. To her, a piece of polished sea glass is a precious stone. Precious is, after all, in the eye of the beholder. Consequently, we have quite a collection of various detritus from a host of favorite shorelines. That’s just fine with me, because she gets more joy from a rare and perfect piece of sea glass than many other people seem to derive from diamonds or emeralds. I’m not saying that she doesn’t deserve those as well, yet her perspective provides a commentary on how we assign value to the other things in our lives. The richest people aren’t necessarily the ones with the biggest jewels. Rather, they are the ones with beautiful memories and various keepsakes that remind them of those memories. That’s what sea glass is to us. Not so much precious stones as touch stones. This also begs the question of what we fill our lives with … and why? In the meantime, I’ll keep hauling home the pockets full of sandy treasure that my beloved finds joy in collecting. After all, it’s not just about the glass. I think she’s actually collecting joy … and that is a treasure indeed.   

 Countless, Worthless, Priceless Treasures

Wherever the water kisses

The sand, you’ll find her there

Wandering happily down the shore

Wet feet and windblown hair

Oblivious to tide and time

As the lazy hours pass

She scours the shore for shiny stones

And odd pieces of sea glass

Tucking the treasures in her pocket

Whenever they appear

And wandering down the sunlit shore

As she has throughout the years

So we have a vast collection

Of such trinkets from the shore

Countless, worthless, priceless treasures

That she collects and she adores

And why not, we know so many folks

Who pay a fortune for the things

That they think will make them happy

Yet no greater pleasure bring

Perhaps the wisest of us all

Is she who wanders happily

And finds her joy in simple treasures

From the Great Lakes and the sea

          By Frank Carpenter ©

A Holiday Epilogue

Well Christmas is officially over, at least the actual day. Our own living room still remains festooned with a tree, decorations, and various piles of presents which have yet to find permanent homes. And I must add that we’re still turning on the Christmas lights outside each night. Nonetheless, anyway you slice it we’re definitely on the back side of the holiday, even though I’m only now beginning to recover from the gluttony and sleep deprivation. The final side effect will, of course, come in January when the credit card bills arrive. Yet, as always, we had a great Christmas together. But what is the formula for a great Christmas?

Upon reflection I’ve come to realize that the success of my personal Christmas had nothing to do with lights, decorations, trees, carols, cards, food … or even presents. All of these traditional trappings were the frosting, but they aren’t the actual cake. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not a Tibetan monk. I love all this stuff. I relish it and enjoy sharing it with everyone around me. The traditional and commercial items listed above are lots of fun, but they are rarely the source of true joy. In contrast thereto, here are some of the things that brought me true joy this Christmas, by which I mean the season and not just the day:

· Faith. The true and original story of Christmas is about God reaching out and sacrificing his only Son as a payment for our sins. Even though the actual date of December 25th is probably way off this is still the traditional day for our celebration of Jesus Christ, the Son God sent to reconcile Himself to us. I am a Christian, which means that I have acknowledged my sinful nature and accepted God’s forgiveness of that sin through the sacrifice of Jesus on a cross. Christmas means so much more because I believe with all my heart that God and Jesus are real, and that the birth of Jesus Christ as a human baby is the true and historical crossroad of eternity, by which God provided a path for everlasting life with Him.
· My marriage. A happy home makes any holiday more meaningful because it provides a basis for the joy that I believe our lives are intended for. I count myself extra fortunate to have an amazing wife whom I look forward to spending not only Christmas with, but every day of my life. Her beauty, wisdom, encouragement and fun make every day better, and especially a holiday. For over thirty years she has been the center of my earthly life and the fountain of my happiness.
· My children. It has also been my good fortune to have three wonderful adult children who are a blessing in every sense of the word. Sharing Christmas with them is both a pleasure and an honor, and all the more so as I see them embracing the faith and traditions they were raised with. They’ve also given us a first grandchild this year, which just makes everything better.
· Extended family. We are blessed with large extended families on both sides that are both loving and supportive. I’m very thankful the foundation of happiness and traditions that they provided, and which are so much a part of our lives.
· Friends. We’ve also been blessed with a large galaxy of close and long-term friendships. These relationships have added both depth and meaning to our lives in more ways than I can say. Friends have provided a rock of support, a touchstone of faith, and a great deal of pleasure to the life we share together.

I have been particularly blessed in all of the above areas. As you might well guess then, I already had everything I really wanted for Christmas long before the first present was ever opened, or even wrapped. That’s because I have all that I need, more than I deserve, and everything this is important. As for the rest of holidays, the frosting part? It was nearly perfect as well, but all the things that really matter are what filled my heart with Christmas joy. I wish the same for each of you.