My Eraser Collection

When I was a girl,
erasers and eraser collecting
was one of my things.
My mother frequented
this little shop that sold
just the best things that
any little girl would love.

There were rolls of stickers
in all scents and textures.
There were amazing erasers
in all shapes and sizes.
My collection began to grow
and to take shape.
It was the BEST collection.
It was my treasured possession.

One evening recently,
I was reminiscing about it
with a group of ladies.
You see, this huge collection
was stolen from the room
I had made in the corn field
behind my house.
I'm sure it was the neighbors
who lived next door
who had several younger girls.
And I confronted those girls
but they said they didn't take them.
And all these years,
that collection torn from me
had a bit of ache.

You should have seen my collection.

So here I was as a forty-seven year old
talking about my eraser collection
like I was still back with it.
And the ladies just laughed.
They thought my description
of my fave's so funny.
And you know, I had to laugh too.
Can you imagine hearing ME
talk about an eraser collection
from long ago?

But yesterday, one of those ladies
told me that she had a little something
for me.
And I was like, "oooh, I love little things."
One of my motto's is,
"It's always the little things
that are so big."
And I pull up and she brings out this box.
And I ask if I should open it
right then and there.
And with her affirmation,
I reach in and pull out this pencil box.
And the box was completely FULL
of erasers in varying shapes, sizes,
and colors.
Do you ever have that moment
where time just kinda stands still
and something is so big in that moment
that you don't even know how to respond?
Yeah, it was one of those.
But I gave her a big hug
out in the wintery, snowy, white
surrounded by tall trees
and the snowflakes falling
and left there, clutching
this box of erasers to my heart.

Sometimes, when you feel that something
you had cherished that was so dear to you
was stripped from your life
with the feeling of complete injustice,
know that God knows.
He saw it all.  He see's your little ache.
And even though it may be much more
than an eraser collection,
it's the little things with God
that He cherishes.
Your life matters to Him.
Your loss matters to Him.
The injustice matters to Him.
He may not restore it as quickly
as you'd love it restored,
but He is watching and beholding
the beauty of your love for Him
that through the loss,
you continue forward
with much-needed help from Him
to carry you forward.

I wasn't planning that last part
as I started to write.

Thank you so much for listening
to the Holy Spirit friend.
It truly is the little things
that are so big.

Here is a picture of all the erasers
in that pencil box.