a lesson on ownership and love.

"everything is Yours" 

were lyrics that not only entered my ear drum but infected my mind yesterday on the ride home from church. me & Graciela were lazily drifting off while the bus manuevered through the Sunday traffic, sharing ear buds and listening to her favorite singer, Audrey Assad.

"everything is Yours" 

three simple words that turn upside down my normal way of seeing things.

all my friendships, my dreams, my children, my work, belongs to God. and they can be taken away from me at any moment. none of it is mine; it is not truly I who has cultivated it, but God.

so do not clutch it with white knuckles desperately to your chest, but give it room to breathe and grow; let it be free. enjoy it while it's abiding in your life and understand when it's time for it to pass on to another's. because "the best way to love anything is to realize that it might be lost."

our lives are full of variables; i could lose my own at any second. nothing is for certain. my girls are able to walk out the door without a kiss goodbye if they chose to. my friends aren't entitled to stick by my side; they have their own lives, their own visions. they won't always be making stories with me. the winds of change are constantly blowing, and i can't be running around putting paperweights on everything.

so don't take any of it for granted. grab ahold of all the little moments and watch them piece together into a beautiful panorama.

listen to your daughter tell you about her day, about her frustrations, about her friends and teachers and happy moments. give her too many hugs, and always share with her what you have. encourage her and tell her how pretty she is, how lovely her heart moves. because she could be gone tomorrow.

call your parents and tell them you love them. don't push them away when they show you affection. reaffirm them and spend time with them and tell them how grateful you are for them. because they won't be around to hear those words forever.

ask your friends how they're doing. dig deep, love them, correct them, be willing to do the little things with them. because next week they might decide to leave in pursuit of their dreams.

all that is earthly is temporary.