Real Treasure

Just days before my mom passed away last year, I was cleaning the house for her (she wanted it to be presentable for the hospice workers who would be coming over that afternoon), and as I left her bedroom, I caught a glimpse of her in her vanity mirror. Our eyes met and locked for a second, and her look said volumes. It said, "I love you. I'll be leaving soon. Goodbye, Summy." We always had a way of communicating without words.

I returned  to her bedroom a few minutes later and as I passed by her bed she had this youthful grin on her face, and her eyes were filled with love.

"Your new name is Gigi," she said dreamily.

I stopped in my tracks and went to her bedside, certain that the painkillers were making her delirious. "What, Mommy? My new name is Gigi? Why is that?" I asked gently.

"Because..." she paused, her gorgeous blue eyes looking deeply into mine, "You are God's Gift. G-G."

It was this memory that came back to me today as I was preparing to step into the shower. I do a lot of contemplating about life as I get ready for my day, and I happened to be having one of those classic conversations with myself (as it seems we all do with ourselves from time to time) about money. I was also thinking about how my life really isn't anything like I thought it would be at the age of 52, and wondered when I might have the chance to begin my life anew someday. In other words, I wasn't exactly counting my blessings, but thinking more about the woulda-coulda-shouldas and what-about-tomorrows.

And that's when this memory kicked in. It was just the two-by-four wake up call that I needed to get my thoughts back on track. Because THAT memory is what life is all about. Love.

A childhood friend of 40 years had just visited me for a couple of days, and we were sharing our stories about our mothers' deaths. At the age of 16, my friend cared for her mother during her battle with cancer, administering shots, and witnessing the harsh chemo treatments that were given back in the 70s. My friend told me, "Summer, eventually, with time, you will only remember the good things with your mom." She told me about the best memory that has sustained her all of these years, when her mom helped her pick out the best senior photo for the high school annual. She said, "The smile on my mom's face is something I will always remember. How fortunate I am to have been the one to care for her."

All of this came flooding back to me as I prepared for my day. And then, one after another, the good thoughts kept coming. It was like potato chips: you can't have just one.

Immediately, another one of my life's gifts was clear as day: my friendship with the woman who has been my Personal Assistant for thirteen years, Bev Scott.

Through thick and thin, Bev has been there for me, helping me make the tough decisions I faced as a single parent, counseling me about God and Spirit when my own faith was waning. She sent me healing energy when I was feeling tired or ill. She encouraged me to own and speak my truth in front of the masses, and to this day continues to be my eyes and ears and tells me all about what happened at the public events that I hold, since I don't have any memory of what has happened while in trance. (I always say the public events are like a big party that I don't get to attend.)

And, there are the gifts of my children in countless ways, or the way my kitty Franny looks at me with such love when I'm nearby. Or the signature way my brother answers the telephone when I call, with a single word: "Babe." There's Lorina whose broad smile can brighten any down day. And my friend, Ann, who has this joyful squeal and giggle every time she dashes down the aisle to wrap her arms around me in an intense hug. And, my dog Cosmo who, when I say the words, "Want to go for a ride?" dances around like a child who has just been told they are going to Disneyland.

The list seems endless of the gifts...no, the TREASURES...that God has given to me in a single lifetime. And, by the way, you are included in my list of treasures. Without you, this work would have no meaning.

I finished getting ready for the day, and went straight to my computer to tell you all about it, with my ten fingers that fly over the keyboard, because I have a heart that beats, a roof over my head, food in my refrigerator, and amazing friends on earth, and in spirit...and especially, I have the love of God in every moment, if only I'm willing to acknowledge it.

My God, I am SO rich.