Treasure

Treasures...everyone, at some point, has fantasized about what they would do if they were to win the lottery (pay off houses and cars, give to loved ones, church, maybe even philanthropic endeavors).  Treasure conjures up several images, but probably primarily a booty, a pirate's treasure, hidden riches, often kept or found under mysterious circumstances.

What makes something a treasure?  What do you DO with a treasure?  Is it so valuable that it remains locked up, so it doesn't get stolen, lost, or damaged?  Placed in a special location?  Do you treat it as though it will vanish or break if it is handled too much or too often?  Most treasures need to be guarded, right?

"Real treasure lies not in that what can be seen, but that what cannot be seen."~~Author Unknown

Although, most typically, treasures are tangible items, the most valuable and important treasures to me are those intangible items that we value: time with loved ones, shared experiences, the love and caring shown to us by those around us.  Many times, if the treasure is a tangible item, it's something that Mr. G.Q. Public would not place a great value upon, like tokens.  This percieved value, or the intagibility of the treasure, often makes it difficult to identify what might be treasured by each person, and many times the treasures are as varied as the individuals.

"Memory is the treasure house of the mind, wherein the monuments thereof are kept and preserved."~~Thomas Fuller

Here is just a tiny sampling of some of MY treasures:

This past summer, we took a trip to the Great Smoky Mountains in Gatlinburg, TN.  One of the adventures we had was horseback riding.  Everyone was able to ride an adult horse (not a pony in a circle), controlling the reins themselves.  Thomas (who was 9) was so enthusiastic about the experience, that he was asking to repeat it halfway through the ride...

A spontaneously gathered fiesta birthday celebration for Daddy on his last birthday...

This simple project my daughter completed for Mother's Day several years ago...

For me, as I am sure for many others, the real treasures are these small pieces of our lives, special times or memories, made more valuable because of their context in our lives.  These sweet times, memories, experiences are held close to us, in our memories, photos, mementos, souvenirs, but not because they can be taken from us.  They can be shared without being relinquished.  They can be brought out over and over again, in the retelling, but never be degraded by the repeated handling.

"Ordinary riches can be stolen, real riches cannot.  In your soul are infinitely precious things that cannot be taken from you."~~ Oscar Wilde

Yes, hold your treasures close.

Protect them. Guard them. 

However, they are not meant to be hidden or locked away.  Share them.  Handle them. 

Always....treasure them.

"For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."~~Matthew 6:21

Token

A token...an outward sign or expression; something serving as indication or proof of something else. 

We use tokens every day...a subway or arcade token, a token word, a token of gratitude or thanks, a token gesture, a token of affection.

What are some of these tokens, and what DO they express, indicate, or represent?  Do you think about what you are really saying with your words and actions? What tokens do you give?  A word of thanks, an encouraging thought, a considerate action.

"Love talked about can be easily turned aside, but love demonstrated is irresistible."~~W. Stanley Mooneyham

Over the next several days (and for at least the past week or more), everyone is focused on love and affection....culminating in ONE day...Valentine's Day.  The legend of St. Valentine had its beginnings in a priest who cared for the sick, writing "from your Valentine" to a blind girl he treated. Then, the association with romantic love came many years later with Chaucer's writing, eventually evolving in today's practices of celebrating, with cards, candy, flowers, etc.

Think about what tokens of our love and affections we give, both at this time of the year, but also when the whole culture isn't laser-focused on it, to those we wish to communicate these feelings to.  There is an entire language for flowers, what the color, size, type all represent to the recipient.  We attempt to put into words the depth and breadth of our feelings to the people we cherish most, with cards, notes, letters, text messages, emails.  We demonstrate, physically, how we feel through hugs, kisses, the holding of hands.

"The manner in which it is given is worth more than the gift."~~Pierre Corneille

Whatever token we choose, and whenever we choose to bestow these upon those beloved ones, we must consider this:  our tokens of love and affection, whether it be a kiss, hug, or something more tangible, should be granted as often and expediently as permitted, reminding those who receive these tokens how they are treasured, loved, cared for. 

HOWEVER, the most exceptional benefit of this token-giving, is that we, as the token-givers, are the more fortunate, for having those whom we wish to bestow them; and enriched, for the experience and opportunity to demonstrate our sentiments.

"Life is short and we never have enough time for gladdening the hearts of those who travel the way with us. Oh, be swift to love! Make haste to be kind!"~~Henri Frederic Amiel