Riches

In some ways, it's been a tough summer.  Especially the last month or so, it seems like we've been blindsided again and again by random little disasters.  The clothes washer broke.  And then our car - twice. Our tv screen shattered by a wayward toy. Yesterday, my dishwasher started pouring water all over the kitchen floor again, and I was just stalking over to my Mom's to vent about it when my sandal broke, right there in the middle of the back yard.  I looked down, baby in my arms, and stopped still.  A little smile, and then a laugh.  My kids looked up curiously, not sure what to make of this new development.  Mama, standing with a broken sandal in her hand, laughing great big belly laughs in the middle of the back yard.

Yes, in some ways it has been a tough summer.  But in others...well, this month I've seen clearer than ever before how rich we truly are.  Our wealth is something that cannot be installed by repairman, or achieved by building a bigger and better house.  It can't be manufactured in a factory, or purchased in a store.  It's us.

I've been mining treasures these past few weeks:  The glory of her smile.  His exuberant embrace.  Their moments of service and selflessness.  Our shared moments of grace.  The gratitude and kindness I see emerging here and there.

Sure, we do our share of chafing.  Our share of "it's not fair"-ing.  Me, more than them.  We bump up against one another and make fusses over things that do not matter.  But at the end of the day, when I smooth that quilt over her and we hold hands for a nightly prayer, I can see it clearly.  The deep, rich wealth that is mine. All I have is gratitude. For this life, for these six souls and for the beauty of watching them all grow into people who will change the world for the better.

And although the washer breaks, the van smokes on the side of the road and those bills just keep coming, I can keep on with the praise.  Because these treasures - they are eternal.

When my husband takes the checkbook to pay for car repairs, I don't ask how much it will be.  I stand in that warm kitchen, fixing breakfast for my little ones.  I button my lips to complaints and, as the door shuts behind him, I pull Fiona in for a secret.  "Did you know I am the wealthiest woman in the world?"  Her eyes flash with understanding.  And that smile just keeps on growing.

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