I'm reading more and understanding less in some cases. Trying to tie my current life in with what I've been taught all my life and certainly what I believe.

In her book of "Useless Information," Barbara Courtland tells us that when the Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre in Paris in 1911, and was missing for two years, more people went to stare at the blank space in the museum than had gone to look at the masterpiece in the 12 previous years.

Kind of like saying, "we don't miss our water until the well runs dry." Far from being "useless," this intriguing bit of information tells me something important about how I view my life. It points to an all too human error in failing to appreciate precious things while we have them.

Let them be taken away from us suddenly and we become painfully aware of the "blank spaces" in our lives and our attention is sharply focused on that "blank space" of what's been lost and now missing. The walls of our minds hold many pictures, but to often we are unmindful of them, taking them for granted that they will always be there.

Take marriages, love, health, and material things like houses, cars, jobs, and money we too often take them for granted. I feel they are countless blessings...gifts of love from God, just as our lives and time here on earth. We have learned to accept the fact that one day it will all end here on earth and surprisingly, we acknowledge that fact by our belief in God almighty.

The more we receive any blessings, the less likely we are to even be aware God has granted them to us. We have used the "brain" given to us at birth to invent so many wonders of the earth until we feel God is no longer needed in our lives.

We are trucking along the highway to greater things in life at 70mph, "Boom" a stroke, our world comes to a sudden stop. But wait, we survive and now feel "useless" by all accounts and standards we have become acustom to having. Has our Mona Lisa been stolen? Do we now stare at the blank wall in the museum (our lives)?

The true answer is "No," pick up the pieces, be thankful of what we have left, keep our profound faith that a promise from God is forever. I grew up being told by my mother to "trust in God," he loves us so, he gave his only begotten son. You know the rest of the passage.

We got to believe in something or we will fall for anything. One thing I know for sure, everybody on earth won't be wealthy, own homes, fine cars, speak the same tongue or believe in God. There will always be differences of opinions and taste in life creating wars not peace.

That knowledge brings me to "The blank space." Everybody has it, it's called "doubt." "Doubt" has to be converted to trust. Once we learn to trust in the powers to be, it's not man, our lives start to rejuvinate and our pains and griefs become less and less day by day.

Two years have gone by, our blank wall is filled again with a beautiful painting to behold, so I'm at peace with what I have left. I count it as another blessing of God's promise as revealed in the Holy Bible.

This my friends is a portion of the entry I had planned for the February short stories/writings Lin was to publish. I didn't meet the cutoff date, 31 Dec 07, so I feel better now that I published part of it in my blog.

BTW, this is not meant to convert any one in their beliefs. I was reared up saying "thank you", "no or yes ma'am or sir", and still do it these days to everybody I have a conversation with. Good habits are even harder to break! :scooter: