Sentimentality by Susan L.

  I hung the rose up to dry. It's the one that was given out at our graduation ceremony, a lovely deep yellow one with a hint of red along the edges of the petals. I am a bit of a sentimentalist and treasure these sorts of things. Roses don't come my way very often.
  I've a small box that holds many of the love tokens the Lord has left along my path. The box is chock full of childish delight in the gifts that come my way. They are simple things like an acorn I found at the beginning of my walk as a Christian. Now I'm not sure if that was meant to represent an  obvious metaphor for faith or if it was a prophetic omen that I was, in the near future, going to go "nuts"! The eraser God sent my way while I was in the hospital is tucked in along side. (That story is in one of my older posts.)
  There's an old, beautifully cast brass sleigh bell I found in my back yard when I first moved in. It was still attached to a rather crispy, crumbly piece of harness. How it got there, who left it behind are all questions that will never be answered in this life. I was utterly surprised by the find. That's part of the treasure too. Finding things when I'm not even looking.
  My collection of four leaf clovers is in there too. Those I have looked for and found. Thirty-one that are preserved in sealed, plastic business card protectors. There's a few more from this year to be added to that total. Right now they are being carefully pressed in my concordance, the thickest book I own. I am sad to say the numbers are dwindling. It's time to stop harvesting them so they will come back. That's a treasure too, knowing when to let go.
  For myself, these small objects are tangible evidence of God's care and meticulous planning regarding the tiniest of details in my life. They are gifts of assurance that He is well in control over every single aspect of my existence. Most of all, the little box contains an immeasurable amount of His love.
  How great is that!
  "And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." 2 Cor 12:9