Starting point

A van overturned on an interstate in Louisiana near where my mom lives. A retired couple swerved to avoid another vehicle, and the husband lost control of the van. It overturned. He and his wife are traveling merchants of precious stones and jewels. Thousands of these were scattered all over the highway when the drawers containing them opened.

The newspaper reported that some of the gems--they were opals--were worth thousands of dollars. The couple was not hurt, and their little cat was found safe, hiding in the grass off to the side off the highway, indifferent to the treasures before its eyes.

All of the stones were recovered. I like to think that people helped them to recover them. I saw no trace of anything precious on the highway when I passed the scene of the accident a few days later.

Life is fleeting--we all know that but most of us rarely give it much thought. We go through life, seeking whatever treasures we feel may bring us happiness.

I am quite sure that since the accident, people have stopped on the highway, looking for some gems that may have been left behind. I can understand that. We all hope for a quick, easy way to find a fortune.

Maybe it is good to give this some thought. We all ride through life with someone or some people we love very much. We may love them enough to give them, for a lifetime, the treasures of our hearts. There is no finer gift that we can give, can share, with each other.

It can be tempting to seek things on the road of life that suggest a more fulfilling wealth. But the real treasures are those with whom we share the ride of life. And when our vans overturn, through sorrow or mishap or any given kind of calamity, the true comfort will come from those whom we love.

Life offers gems of its own. They are beautiful, and they live and breathe and have hearts. Hold these treasures while you have them--and the wealth of God's ways will be yours.

[Fr. James Stephen Behrens is a monk at Monastery of the Holy Spirit, Conyers, Ga.]

COPYRIGHT 2007 National Catholic Reporter
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning