Sparkles and Treasures

Herkimer Diamonds

Every day, every adventure, every phone call, every encounter, every moment, lies infinite promise of revelation.  

To re-member our ego with our soul through individual
expression (s).

To re-unite our soul-selves with our human-selves to become our one-self.

Yesterday, my adventure to the Herkimer Diamond Mines, gave me once again another revelation.

A beautiful Sunday morning, sun shining with a light breeze, pail, and hammer to dig and capture my treasures in hand, sneakers and loose-fitting clothes for comfort, gas in the car, GPS on, Aunty Robin co-piloting, excitement for the adventure, full speed ahead.

As typical with all long drives, (2 hours is a lifetime in a car for me), conversation passes the time away. 

Chatting on about life, kids, jobs, daily life, the occasional heartfelt laugh and giggles galore, the distance closing in, happiness overflowing. 

This is the most significant part of any adventure. 

Communication. 

The ease of friendships. 

The joy of the moment.  

It was in this ease of the drive that my phone gave a bit of a ring, and my daughter’s voice popped into the conversation via the miracle of Bluetooth.

Paige had 5 days earlier embarked on her own road trip from San Diego to Montana and back.
 
My daughter, the soul of a traveler,  had time off from and chose to set off through the deserts and mountains of the midwest.

SOLO  

“Hey, Paige!  How goes your road trip”?

“MOM!  MY CAR DIED”!

{fuck}.

“Okay, breathe, look around you, where are you?  What happened?  You are safe.  We will figure this out”.

And so, begins a bit of unease. 

The momentary feeling of doom and disaster, worry, fear, confusion, prayer. 

(Team Jen, find Team Paige and help them, God, keep her safe, Mom, wipe her tears, Archangel Michael, see if you can fix that car.)

Yes, I can pray, worry, swear, and feel impending doom all while sounding brilliantly calm and reassuring. 

“Paige, I am on the road in the middle of upstate NY, I will call Dad and Alex.

They will get you the information for AAA, send you money via Venmo if needed, do all the things from home you may need until I can pull over without hitting a cow or losing cell service.”

Nothing else I can do but move forward.
  
Alex sent her money, Tim got her AAA under control, we all check in every 15 minutes while she waits for the tow truck, and Aunty Robin and I continue our path to hunt diamonds.

Ace Diamond Mines here we are. 

Buckets and hammers in hand, thousands upon thousands of rocks to bang, diamonds to find. 

All while in constant contact with Paige and the unraveling saga of a $500 car and what may possibly be a shot engine.
  
As I wandered the incredible amount of rocks and considered the what-ifs of Paige’s situation and its impact on her next few days/weeks, I once again asked for help from the other side
.
I asked again to keep her safe, to help her figure this out, to ease her burdens, blah, blah, blah.  I already requested 1,000 times. 

Once is enough. 

I’ve been heard. 
I just keep boomeranging  prayers.
  
It was at this moment I saw a smallish stone with a bit of glitter.

Curious, I picked it up and turned it over and there it was.
 
A heart. 

I always get a heart when I am pondering life on life’s terms. 

It is always sent in love and always a reminder that the answers, although usually hidden from sight, are still available to me and are always perfect.

I showed Aunty Robin, and we continued our quest to find the perfect stones, our treasures.

Throughout the day, Paige and I would chat. 

Her car now safely at an auto mechanics shop waiting for the morning to learn more, Paige safely, albeit unhappily, in a $50 cheap hotel room with a halfway decent pizza and a case of water coupled with a six pack of beer because seriously, this situation sucks.
  
After about 6 hours of digging and not really finding much in the way of treasure, we packed up our hammers and gloves and headed back home. 

Full of chatter, full of laughter, much reminiscing, and plans for another adventure.

Goodbyes said, the shower taken, Roy walked and fed, I finally sat down to look intently at the Diamonds I did find or were given to me by the lovely lady wanting the bigger diamonds and giving me her littles.
  
I pondered my day again and held my heart stone close.
 
I found myself feeling its texture, noticing its imperfections, color, coolness, beauty. 

I put it with the diamonds and then sat back again lazily absorbed in its display.
  
“Do you see beyond the shine, Jennifer”?  
“Do you finally understand what you have been hearing these past few months”?  
“What is seeking to express itself through you”? 
“What is seeking to emerge from within”?  
“What shell are you finally able to release around you which will allow yourself to shine”?
​
And there it was. 

A reminder of the meaning of life.
  
It is never about the treasure; it is never about the adventure without setbacks.

A big part of life is about knowing there will always be something deep within your being, hidden within your past, your illusions, your shell, your fears, your nightmares, your ego, which is seeking to express itself through you.
 
A talent, a potential,  a spark, a dream, a wish, a hope, a gift, a desire, an expression of greatness, whatever your unique and individual seeds are within the dark, hard, and cold shell within,  patiently waiting to be exposed through you and as you. 

There will forever be easy ways to find little sparkles on the surface, just hanging out waiting to be discovered. 

​And while these sparkles bring much significance in our lives, the treasures, which there are many, will need to be chiseled at until they reveal themselves with such magnitude, such beauty, such strength, such love, such shine, we never will hide that expression of self again.