Blessings to You!
Just in case you were not aware of it, Life itself is like a string of "Pearls of Great Price." Understanding how pearls are formed, perfectly teaches us how our lives are formed become such a treasure.
A pearl is the result of a grain of sand getting into the shell of an oyster. The oyster begins to coat the grain with nacre, which is the same substance that the shell is made of. Eventually the pearl is formed. Likewise with our own lives, we may face irritating circumstances. When we fail to let them irritate us; coating them with a consciousness of love, peace and understanding, over time transforms an irritation to a Pearl of Great Price. A life well lived is priceless.
Here's an example: We were backing in...to the hundredth parking space for the thousandth time. My granddaughter Samantha struggled to maneuver the 1998 Dodge Caravan into the narrow space between white lines that seemed to move of their own accord. Time after time... after time, she would be too far to the left...then the right...then the left again. As Samantha turned the wheel back and forth pushing brake, gas, brake, gas, I repeated instructions that seemed to fall on deaf ears. "Use your mirrors." "Cut the wheel." "Stop!"
The parking-space challenge was bad enough, not counting the one time that we were eyed suspiciously by police as we backed in, changed places and backed in again, and the time that we were actually approached by a police officer, asking what we were doing as we practiced in an empty grocery store lot. To this day I am amazed that he could not use his deductive skills to figure it out. I mean, gray-haired woman with older teen backing up, changing spots, backing up, changing spots...at 8:00 in the evening...what did he think we could possibly be up to? Looking for the perfect parking place to conduct a heist on the chocolate counter...or to make a drug deal?
I never thought that I would be teaching anyone to drive, especially my granddaughter. I have neither the patience nor the temperament to do so. I even paid for driving lessons that I thought would save me from this dreaded task. However, I was told by the driving instructor, she would need practice. So, for three months, Samantha and I would climb aboard the Caravan and drive.
There were times I thought I would not live through the experience. Not that I would die from a traffic accident, more likely from fear as the car seemed to be all too close to the guard rails, or following too closely to the car in front of us. If I had a nickel for every time I reported the speed limit to Samantha, I could probably have paid a chauffeur to drive for us, eliminating the need for her to drive at all.
On December 1st 2009 I watched with clenched teeth and a knotted stomach as Sammie drove off with the examiner who would determine if she was skilled enough to get her license. I watched as they returned, and she backed in to the parking spot, attempting to instruct her telepathically "use your mirrors," "cut the wheel," "stop!" As she emerged from the DMV, license in hand, I smiled with joy and pride.
Today, Sammie and I look back and laugh when we recall those three months of driving-hell. As often happens in life, our most challenging experiences, seasoned with time, can become our most treasured memories.
There are many pearls of great price in the treasure chest of my heart. This is one of them. Oh...another tidbit about pearls...not all of them are creamy toned and perfectly shaped. These are called Baroque Pearls. They come in a variety of shapes and colors. Just like life! Just because our lives don't look "perfect" they are nonetheless priceless!
How many pearls are in your treasure chest?
RevAli
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