Hello Friends,

“Where your treasure is, there also is your heart.”

In all the Gospels Jesus speaks frequently, and pointedly, about priorities—what we value, where we devote our attention, time, resources, energy—what matters most.

As many of you know, my dad has just moved here to Austin, from his Mississippi homeland. Our family has begun the challenging journey, now, of sorting through my parents lifetime’s worth of material “treasures,” in preparation for selling the house that was their home.

And as has been true for all my fifty three years (and will probably be true for the rest of whatever time I’m given), my dad continues to be a principal teacher, guide, and role model.

Faced with this extreme change, he expressed only eagerness to make the move. “you all, my family, are what matters to me. I don’t have much here (with Mom and many friends now gone, and life at the house no longer a possibility). I have you.”
In his next breath, without skipping a beat, he said, with a carefree wave of his hand, “And I don’t think we’ll have any trouble selling the house.”

Just like that, he freed my soul from a heavy weight of worry, over how this move might go, and what it might cost him, and what we might need to do to soften the relinquishment of all those “treasures,” and the house in which they are contained.
Dad’s treasure is us; and he is ours. This new phase of our family’s journey won’t always be easy, I know, especially for him. He’s dealing with losses of physical capacity and independence of lifestyle, as well as his ongoing lack of my mom’s actual company.

But his priorities remain clear. People, and the joys of living in the human family, have always mattered more than “stuff” to Dad. His “keepsakes” are his wedding ring, his college fraternity ring, a watch he won from a jewelry store years ago (plus his favorite everyday Timex), his well-worn Bible, and some favorite photos of dear ones.

He likes to look nice, so there are clothes, and he likes to be comfortable, so we’re gathering some amenities in his small living space, to enhance comfort and a sense of home.

But the treasure of being, for Tracy Currie, is loving and being loved. And now I get to share in that wealth up close and personal, on a daily basis.

How rich am I, today, and how grateful to all of you, who have been praying us through this journey, so far.

I pray for you, too, and I want to know how it is with your soul, today, what challenges and blessings are presenting themselves on your journey.

I look forward to treasuring each moment with you this Sunday, and all our days to come.

Shalom,

Sarah