I admit I was disappointed when God leaned out of Her kitchen window and dropped a string of black pearls in my outstretched hand. I was dreaming of chests upon chests of gold and silver coins and rubies and diamonds and emeralds, truckloads.
And then all I got was a crummy string of black pearls?
WTF.
This was only my latest method of overlooking a dazzling gift.
Funny thing is, all that pirate's treasure I was fantasizing over, it would have been a burden to possess. I'd have been like a miserly old dragon sitting atop a mountain of jewels and never leaving for fear of someone coming along trying to steal a coin or two.
After She dropped those pearls in my paw, She said to stop by anytime. I guarantee that no matter what She gives me next time, I will initially be disappointed yet again. And I will let Her know by moping away grumbling under my breath yet again.
Still, no matter how much of a brat I am -- and I can be a famous brat -- She does not become irritated with me. She only calls after me to return anytime.
This is love of the highest order, just as the sun does not demand displays of gratitude from the earth.
49 comments:
I would treasure black pearls with my life. They are made from the creatures who live in the sea. And they are very rare indeed.
Treasure the gifts you are given, they may get taken away at any time.
I would treasure black pearls with my life. They are made from the creatures who live in the sea. And they are very rare indeed.
Treasure the gifts you are given, they may get taken away at any time.
"...when God leaned out of HER kitchen window ..." - love how you would use female pronoun for God, Ed, I wouldn't expect anything different from you :)
and the ending: "This is love of the highest order, just as the sun does not demand displays of gratitude from the earth" is your blissful magic at work again ;)
Love the commentary on the burden of material "tresures!" The thought of a misery dragon never leaving is spot on.
Good stuff, man. :)
So true. How spoiled we've become, wanting something more than the delicious gift that we've just received. I like how you transition the "brat" to one who suddenly recognizes and appreciates the gift of giving. That last line of yours "...just as the sun does not demand displays of gratitude from the earth." takes my breath away. Thanks, Ed. :-)
she is just that...love of the highest order. i love the image of her leaning out of her kitchen window. that one caught my heart.
Liked this a lot. We do expect more don't we, until we figure out how much we were really given.
All you really need is love. Now where have I heard that before? Takes a wise man Mr.Pilolla to have sussed that out at so young an age.
I agree that most expect more and are disappointed when they dont receive it. When we could just be thankful we received anything at all.
great post. I love how you always make me think.
It's the thought that counts!
My jeweler friend would choke at the mention of a "crummy" string of black pearls. White oysters almost never make a black pearl. Black oysters almost never make pearls at all, of any color. Even Smaug knew that, silly.
You are all right, Ed. This is a really cool post. One great line in there "She said to stop by anytime". That is really good. It's not like there is only one chance or one visit.
You amaze me Ed. Simply amaze me. You are an incredible treasure. Just like those pearls.
that was pretty amazing ed...and thanks goodness for her grace because i have scoffed at the treasures i have been given as well...
piedmont writer, so true: what's here today may be gone tomorrow. thank u for that.
dezmond, you know, god isn't any sex, or both. i think god has feminine and male characteristics. i like to mix it up. i'm sure the catholic church approves:)
j.m. neeb, i've been that dragon. it's fun at first, but the end sucks, and the end lasts for so long.
su-sieee! mac,we are spoiled. in some ways, being spoiled is the results of love too. i loved to spoil my dog. i love to spoil a lover. but that doesn't mean all the time in everything, i think. thanks so much:)
deidra, rumi has a poem about if you camp out at love's door long enough, love will come and speak to you from the window. i dig the concept that interaction at the window is as close to love and god as might get in this earthly plane.
anthony duce, i always expect and want more. it's a constant process of seeing the joy before me. constant.
moannie, who you calling young? not anymore. if only...:)
soccermom, we always get something, even when we screw up royally. when that happens, i hear my dad's voice in my ear telling me it was a learning experience. a 'learning experience' means i screwed up, as i've learned:)
badger, truly good thoughts are as valuable as pearls, seems to me.
mark dixon, i was totally thinking of smaug when i wrote that! i even originally drafted that a hobbit might come along and steal a coin or two, but i thought that was too over the top. don't tell your jeweler friend:)
technobabe, we all have backstage passes good for the duration of our lifetimes. she'll even come to us if we need that. that's been my experience. and i've needed that connection often.
lori, thanks so much! i sometimes have to plummet to dark places before i surface and see some light.
brian miller, you and me both. i specialize at that 'big deal' look when i am given a gift.
You know, a lot of times black pearls are more than enough. It's tough to remember that what is dark and scary usually means you're on the verge of greatness. Take that step, baby. You can do it.
This is quite lovely. You make the easily overlooked bits of life beautiful. I truly hope you treasure your gift in the same way you should treasure those black pearls. :)
just as the sun does not demand displays of gratitude from the earth.
LOVELY. And the Earth blooms beneath the sun in a glorious dance of being basked in the light :)
Sometimes it's good, not to get what we would love and long to get - but it's so disappointing (cause I for example always know what I would need most...) until we discover that black pearls are just what is perfect for us for that moment. Tomorrow it may be silver and gold :=)
I really like this, a super example of unending, selfless love. I know which poem to post next...thanks! That last line, especially sweet...(sweet as is cool)
thinkingtoohard13, your vision i need to see better. dark and mysterious is scary. i want to take that step. i hope the universe doesn't mind while i scream bloody murder and cry like a baby so long as i actually take that step:)
it's the only way i know how to take that next step.
tori, thanks. that's an interesting read, that the pearls are our own talents we often dismiss so easily.
she writes, i dig it. light provides nourishment, life, illumination.
claudia, sometimes it is indeed good not to get what we want. i guess the universe knows much better than we do what it is we need. i've heard this. i believe this. sometimes i still grumble about this:)
Great post! I strive to acknowledge the treasure even when it is disguised.
EXAMPLE: Our car didn't start last weekend. A bummer, to be sure. But I was SOOO grateful it happened on Saturday rather than this coming weekend when I will be out of state. Definitely a treasure.
I love that, in your mind, God is a woman
Did I tell you that I loved your post on Indie Ink?
Well I do.
the words crafter, can't wait to read that poem! yeah, i got to look to the sun for unending love, or maybe a dog. no, even a dog as a limit, for sure.
vicki rocho, i appreciate that perspective on the car for sure. even the smallest bit of gratitude, i think, is really never, by nature, small at all.
alexia, god certainly is a woman, the nurturer. and also a man. but why is god always-always only a man in our culture? oh, yes, we know the answer: paternalistic society must imprint us with this belief. thanks for props:)
I've never seen black pearls, but I imagine they would be beautiful
Black pearls, what a perfect analogy for the gifts of a life well lived. Or ill lived. Or just endured...
cleaning house or kitchen is great because you find "treasures" along the way...that are kids everywhere :)
How true is this! Wonderful as always. Tiny jems, given over and over, and if I rember them all, I find I am sitting on top of a gold mine! xo
Ah yes, the lure of chests of cold, rubies and emeralds.
I'd rather have a taco under a good tree any day.
The sun doesn’t demands gratitude from earth… because given is receiving… such is the greatness of unconditional love.
As usual, great post
loveNlight
Gabi
So nicely expressed. We so often don't know or appreciate the treasures we possess. So often they come to us in a form other than what we'd expect and we learn to appreciate their worth when we open our minds.. and hearts.
There have been times ive overlooked gifts too, but thats cos i didnt know what I wanted when ive recd the gift
I'm having serious trouble leaving a comment at your indescribable writing. What is it? Is it a poetic prose? A wisdom poetry? Or did you just pull out all the stops and let the words go.
I am switching master.
Wow. This is my first visit to your blog. You have a very unique voice.
I'll be back.
Thanks for the reminder Ed. I forget often that I need to focus on what I do have and be grateful for that as opposed to focusing on what I don't have and complaining.
hear mum roar, ha! i've never seen black pearls either! they just seem magical and took over my imagination doing this piece.
wanderlust, i fell in love with the imagery of the dark, naturally made pearls. thanks!
babYpose, that is hysterical:)
love, evolution and resilience, oh now you shook me. all of what we are given do add up to a pile of treasure. that's amazing. that's deep vision. that's awesome.
jannie funster, hysterical! i love it. a good meal beats gems. no doubt, especially a picnic. thanks for stopping by:)
gabriela abalo, i can't go far without writing about the sun. i'm like a dog on the leash and it's never long before all the slack goes out of the leash and i write love-struck about the sun.
hilary, so well put. it does take opening our minds and hearts to have that 'second look' at something. one of the best descriptions of writing i've heard is it's the art of the second thought. the second time around with so much is so powerful.
lakshmi, the universe does know better than us. sometimes i feel like the universe is a step behind me but it's always ahead. you are right.
ocean girl, what i do is i get to the end of my rope, pout and sulk and when i notice the universe still holding Her arms out for a hug, even after all my bratiness, i just have to write a love letter to Her. thanks!
suzanne, thanks for stopping by!
g.~, we all need that reminder. i myself need it on the hour, on good days.
Most of us are always looking for more - something we imagine to be better than what we currently possess. And it's also difficult fully accepting our present realities, having faith that where we are is exactly the experience we are meant to be having.
You've given us much food for thought here - such treasure!
Thank you for your comment on my blog. It stopped me cold...then made me smile. A writer? Who knew? Thank you for noticing.
I love black pearls.
Blacks pearls may not be the ordinary, expected cream-pink concoctions we usually see. They're more rare. South Sea black pearls are huge and more rare and fabulous.
Sometimes the gifts that aren't what we want are actually so much more.
it is nice to see you in my wordpress blog...
thank you for being honest and cool...
Happy July 4th!
Those black pearls sound like a rare gift indeed.
Love that last line - profound and true.
felicitas, yeah, that's interesting, we are looking for more. a part of me is like, what's wrong with looking for more? maybe that's the part of me unhappy with getting black pearls. but there's also that part of me that loves to be satisfied. maybe i need to get these two parts of me to have coffee and learn to coexist better:)
liza, thanks for stopping by.
lydia kang, i dig your perspective: sometimes the gifts we don't want are actually so much more. i didn't know that about black pearls, and now they are even more alluring to me than ever. i didn't know they could be bigger. that has lit my imagination. thanks!
jingle, thanks for visiting.
ladyfi, the only thing i know about unconditional love is the receiving.
Hi Ed, I came over here after your very moving comment on my post. And looking to see if I can find out about your volunteer gig at the soup kitchen in Skid Row... gotta be here someplace.
Ed, I would do the same...waste away on top of my loot for fear I would not have what was never really mine to begin with. Black pearls. So beautiful, rare, expensive. She gave you a nice gift Ed. Ya know...if they're not really your thing, I'll take 'em. Trade you for a gold doubloon!
An get an abundance of gifts daily...
djan, i haven't put anything yet on my blog about volunteering at the locally famous hippie kitchen soup kitchen here in la and living with the hippie types who run it, but soon. thanks for the interest. i need to get my butt in gear on a few fronts.
wine and words, i could be an extremely good lazy dragon. perhaps one of the best. and you, you can get black pearls from her anytime you like:)
a daft scots lass, coffee this morning was an incredible gift. super-natural, really:)
Beautiful...God a woman- love it.
Black pearls, so unique and precious, it makes possessing them all the more special. Like the rarities that life gives us.
Very thoughtful poem!
Ed,
Remember how I said that you inspired me to write. Well, on impulse I created a blog and did not think about the anonymity part in my excitement. So here is my first post, inspired by this post of yours. Love you Ed.
http://tiffanyhau.blogspot.com/
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