Every little girl and boy dreams about mounds of treasure. Girls want their treasure to come in the form of tiaras and jewels in a grand castle owned by prince charming. Boys want their treasure to come in a box hidden under an X after a grueling adventure. No matter how they get it, kids always dream of it.
I always wanted the best of both worlds. Like Elizabeth Swan, I wanted the great pirate adventure but also the mansion owned by the governor I called home. As I grew older, these fairy tale dreams faded. The prospect of real treasures seemed more like a fantasy than an actual possibility.
Little did I know God would give me three little treasures to hold onto for a month. He gave me treasures that have value beyond any fine gem stone, silver or gold, or even rare earth minerals. He placed three little girls in my path.
Three little girls who wore rainbow sweaters, bright colored skirts, and the most beautiful smiles. He gave me six little hands to hold and three little bodies to pick up and spin around and tickle and hold close. He gave me three little hearts to hold for three short weeks.
photo courtesy of Mary Dunn
These girls were three and four years old. The three year olds were twins and the four year old their sister. He gave me eyes to see their differences. He gave me eyes to see the joy and excitement on their faces, and He gave them a three pieces of my heart.
These girls laughed hard. They clung to my hands like they were diamonds and looked up to find my eye. They ran off with one another. They shared their rainbow sweaters when one of them forgot hers. These girls were like Joseph in their coats of many colors.
They drew all of my attention, and they kept it with their hearts. They ran around happy. They checked on their siblings and the other kids. They tried to tickle you and everyone else. They jumped for joy and waited patiently. They danced. One would talk my ear off. The other one would sit quietly on my lap. The another played with my hair and then ran off to kick the ball always looking back to make sure I had not moved.
I don’t know these girls names, I couldn’t understand a word they said, but I didn’t need to. They are a treasure. A gift from God to me.
Like every girl dreams, my father gave me a treasure to hold. I can’t keep these treasures, though I would if I could. These three little treasures are far greater than a tiara or chest full of loot. These treasures came in the form of three little girls with six little hands and more joy than can fit into the ocean. These are my treasures.
