Treasures...

There is a story from ancient time about a wealthy man in ancient India who had a very large farm. His life was very fulfilled and he was very content. There came upon his farm a priest who began to talk to him about the formation of the earth. He told him that the earth was once a fiery ball. As the moisture condensed and rain began to fall the earth cooled and as it cooled granite was formed and then silver. As the earth cooled more gold was formed and finally diamonds. The priest went on about diamonds and how valuable they were and how easily they could be found in white sand between mountains. The priest talked late into the night. As the wealthy farmer fell asleep that night he suddenly felt poor. While he had lost nothing of value, his discontent caused him to believe he was now poor. This discontent would drive him to sell his farm and seek the wealth of diamonds. Filled with optimism and self assuredness be began the journey he knew would end in enormous wealth. As time pressed on and he searched the world, the fortune he had acquired from the sale of his farm dwindled until there was none left. Years of searching had taken him to a far distant shore. With no family, no friends, and no money, he quietly allowed the tide to take him out to sea and he was never seen again.

Meanwhile the new owner of his farm saw a light gleaming from the sand under a clear stream on the property. Reaching down he removed a stone from the streambed which was mostly black with a little clear gem showing. Thinking nothing of it, he placed it on the mantel in his home. Shortly after, a guest noticed it and exclaimed, “you’ve found a diamond”. Not believing that he had, the new owner took his guest out to the stream. They brought a shovel and with the first turn of the sand they found diamonds, dozens of them and all more beautiful than the one he had first discovered.

As to the veracity of the story, one cannot say, but some of the greatest diamonds ever discovered have come from that area of India. It is difficult, though, to deny the truth found in the story. All of us at one time or another have missed the opportunities that are set before us. We probably have all had a visit from an authority figure in our life that has left us feeling poorer, at least in spirit. The real treasures of life are not found in the coldness of material possessions. No, they are found in the warmth of a smile, in the squeeze of a hand, in the twinkle of an eye. The real treasures of life are not found among the facets of a diamond. They are not found in the weight of gold or among all the property we may own. The real treasures are found in the relationships we have with others—our family, our friends, our colleagues, our clients, and even among strangers.

A person may be as contented with life as was the wealthy farmer of our story. They are excited about life and the future and the magical events that it holds. Maybe it is a wedding, a graduation, a birth, the success of a company, retirement, grandchildren, love, or many other incredibly wonderful things. Feeling great and on top of the world, they discover what they believe is a small health issue, only to be told it is life changing, if not life ending. With heaviness of heart they feel poorer and bowed down by a great weight. Proclamations of doom can do that to a person. But we have the ability to enter that person’s life at their point of need and give them comfort. In the dark recesses of their minds, hope comes as but a flickering candle. This small fire will not of itself bring warmth, but if it is encouraged by the breath of another who cares, it can be used to light a fire that can eliminate the darkness and in this illumination hope grows and peace abounds. True healing comes from within whether it be physical, mental, or spiritual.

At the end of our lives, they will not stand in the pulpit at our memorial service and count our possessions. They will talk about our character, our beliefs, our principles, and the lives we touched on our all too brief journey of life. In the audience their will be those on whose hearts, we etched words of love and encouragement. This then, will be the legacy we leave, the simple touch we made upon another. Take the time to touch at least one each day. A simple smile or a soft voice saying “I love you”, is enough.