Keepsakes

And by and by Christopher Robin came to an end of things, and he was silent, and he sat there, looking out over the world, just wishing it wouldn't stop.

Winnie the Pooh
The House at Pooh Corner

I stepped into the room and saw the mess: My precious girl sat on the kitchen floor in the middle of literally hundreds of scattered peanuts.  They were everywhere.  The empty jar next to her.

I looked past the peanut mosaic and saw in her beautiful baby hands, a little red bowl- the peanut lid.

Its treasure? a few little peanuts.

 "You eat this?" she asked of our 15 year old cat, Tigger.  And to her great delight, Tigger greedily ate the salty offering.

As cute as that interaction was, I admit, the mess was making this mommy feel a little bit frustrated...I hate a mess!

But then, right then, as I watched this exchange take place... a warmth wrapped itself around me.  I felt His presence, His hug, encircling me. "Don't miss this" He whispered in my ear...

 In that tiny space of time, He gifted me with a beautiful window into my daughter and I wanted to remember her just like this.

I engraved in my heart the inner beauty of my little girl, her giving spirit, her maternal instinct, her sensitive heart, her thoughtfulness of others, her creative expression...

I chose to look past the mess, to forget about the cost...

Time.  It is the sand that escapes through our fingers, through the hourglass of life.  We make castles of time only to discover that they are fragile keepsakes washed away by the life waters we tread. 

But for a moment, If we stop ..It is then we can capture the simple, the ordinary.  The smells, sounds, mundane events of a day- a moment.  A moment that we will never get back, but a precious moment that we can hold in our heart- in our mind, engrave in our memory... 

Bound together, these moments give breath when we struggle for air, they cover us in warmth when the knitted coverlet is out of reach, they squeeze us in the warm embrace of companionship- when we are really all alone. 

These moments are to be kept, to be cherished for the gifts they are.

I then observed as her daddy, knelt on the floor and tenderly helped her brush the pieces- many broken- into a pile and remove all traces of the mess she had made.

I couldn't help but be touched by his humbleness.  His willingness to lower himself to her level - to go to her in her time of - well, mess.  He could have removed her from the situation, or done the task himself, but instead he chose to guide her - to imprint a life-lesson on her tender heart. He took the time to take her by the hand and teach her how to pick up the pieces and make things new again.

Instead of feeling overwhelmed, or offended by his offer of help, she became excited about the immense task at hand - which didn't feel so large with someone beside her. Her little mouth curled up into a sweet smile and she eagerly sat at his feet, was quiet, still, and allowed him to take her hand in his and ...help. Work together toward a common goal. 

 And you should have seen the smile on her face.  That beautiful smile of accomplishment and victory.  She could do it!  She DID do it!  She will forever carry this experience in her heart and in her attache case of things she is equipped to do.

She didn't just pick up peanuts or clean up a mess.  She didn't just feed a cat.  She learned integrity, cooperation, teamwork, what it means to be humble, giving and sacrificial in her service to others. 

She learned how to pick up the pieces when they are scattered around her and she knows that, with a little bit of effort, all things can become new once again. 

Can't you just hear Kylie and Tigger sharing a giggle over this Winnie the Pooh wisdom?

"It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn't use long, difficult words

but rather short, easy words like ..."

"What about lunch?"

Winnie the Pooh
Pooh's Little Instruction Book

God has given gifts to each of you from his great variety of spiritual gifts.

Manage them well so that God's generosity can flow through you.

I Peter 4:10