 What have you collected in the pocket of your heart? I bet if you looked inside you would marvel at the beautiful collection it contains.Many of us are collectors and have been since we were children. Marbles, seashells, bits and pieces of our lives that may mean very little to any one but us. But they do mean very much to us. I am quite certain that I am not alone in collecting people as well. I believe I have done this since before I started school. Shopping with my Mom I would see the elderly lady sitting on the bench and I knew she was lonely and in need of a hug. I would carry the image of the person collected inside of me and without knowing what I was doing I was blessing them. I was placing them inside the pocket of my heart because there was plenty of room and enough love to go around. As the years marched on by I began to notice that perfect strangers would approach me in stores or on a street corner just to look in my face and tell me their story. A pleasant thing had happened or a sad circumstance had descended and they seemed to know that I would take them and tuck them in tightly to the pocket of my heart. I finally have gotten to a point where I felt safe and comfortable to ask my friends about this. Most people I know do the exact same thing and have since they were young children as well. They may call it something different but it amounts to noticing someone, catching their energy and including them in their walkabout prayers or finding the perfect spot for them in their soul. This is a fascinating adventure to be certain but even more so when you throw your arms around a person or circumstance and swallow them in your Spirit when they bug you to pieces. Perhaps an offense has been taken by their words, maybe a bit of jealousy as reared its head or an intentional unkindness has been lobbed in your direction. Instead of reacting, you tuck them in your pocket. You carry them in your soul, sometimes uncomfortably at first and you just sit with it and them and the situation. Whatever happens after that contains more fairness and more than a little grace. I say with such love and emotion that the best moments of my life have been the surprise of the item tucked inside the pocket of my heart. I know that every single day presents within it the opportunity for me to learn and love and share that love with others because of the collection that my heart pocket contains. I do not take it for granted. I welcome each new opportunity, each new face.  For all of the times that I have been so graciously included in your collection I offer my humble words of appreciation. Take notice of who you collect. Offer this collection your thanks and share that love with others.And as you do? We all benefit. And so it is. |
