Spiritual Sunday: Sifting through Sand

Did you ever have a sifter designed to use in a sandbox as a child? Usually they were the size of a round cake pan with numerous small holes and you would dip into the sand and gently shake the sand in the sifter. The object was to see what "treasures" you would find. Sometimes these treasures would be buried on purpose and sometimes they had just drifted on their own into the sandbox. Sometimes we would take them to the beach and see if we could find pretty shells buried below the surface.

People will use "sifting through time" or "sifting through the years" as reference to the above activity, referring to memories of days gone by. Usually they are thinking of an important event or perhaps a way of living that has put its mark on history and is no more.

I heard someone mention their parents had recently passed on and now the siblings were sifting through their loved ones' home. They were able to rebuild, if you will, the type of life their parents had led by the evidence they had left. Their belongings, writings, books, etc. confirmed to the children they had led a good life, a life the children could confirm was an honorable one.

What would relatives or those entrusted find when they sift through your home at your passing? Evidence of an honorable life, one of service to others, one that was kind and helpful? One that used your natural/acquired talents and gifts? One that figured out what was really important in life?

We know how to be a good person- say please, tell the truth, give to the poor, etc. Talents/skills/gifts may be harder. So many times we think of these as insurmountable obstacles - time, money, etc. that we don't even try. But we can be a good person and we can use our talents. At the beginning we may have to actually write them into our planner (volunteer at...., sign up for the class......., personal time.......) but gradually they become an integral part of us and our brain just knows what to do. You have the capacity to have an honorable and good life and leave the evidence behind to prove it.