To Receive

We humans 

Have a habit

Of receiving conditionally

I did it many times

Until life taught me otherwise

It began to teach me 

What one of my favorite role models always says

“Man’s rejection is God’s protection”

“Some of the best gifts come wrapped in sandpaper”

And I began to find gold in all kinds of places 

I never would have looked

Gratitude began to pour forth

Thank God I’m not God!

When I took a different perspective 

Coal began to shine like diamonds 

No longer did I let the bitterness of an illusion

Taint precious moments and memories

I began to learn that what appears to our eyes

Is often the invention

We must have the courage

To seek with our hearts

To receive, to treasure what is, was given 

Holding it in all the glory it possessed the day it was born

Letting it change you

There is no greater gift we can give another (or God)

Than to allow their love to change us

Especially when

It’s not what we envisioned

When it appears withdrawn

We can still allow it

To make us see the world differently 

Talk differently

Laugh differently 

Live differently 

Whether they are still with us in that way

Does not determine the value 

Of the gift

Take the risk 

Of receiving

Without reserve

And watch 

How big

You become