FOOD FOR THOUGHT
(06/06/2010)
BETWEEN
THE QUARTERS
Cindy Hong
When
the first one came out in 1999, I told myself, “Self, you are not getting
suckered into collecting these, as shiny as they are.” Yeah, right.
That lasted maybe a year. Then what I vowed not to do, I started doing:
collecting quarters from the 50 states. Pennsylvania … New York …
North Carolina …. Every 10 weeks, the U.S. Mint released a new state
quarter. When they first started, I remembered thinking it was going to
take forever for 10 years to pass and all 50 state quarters produced.
Ten years? Slowly Illinois was added, then Michigan …and Florida . What?
Another 10-week wait for Texas ? It felt ridiculous having that “I can't
wait” feeling for a 25-cent piece. 2002…2004…2006. The waiting at
times was excruciating, living in-between the 10 weeks and waiting for
the 10 years to end so I can have my life back. Yet those 10 years from
1999 to 2008, that was life. The 10-week segments that bled from one year
into the next, 50 of them if you're counting, that was life too. And “in
between” seems to be a theme for us all. We live between being young
and old, doubt and faith, despair and hope. Life between the resurrection
and consummation may be excruciatingly painful for us at times. Sickness
and disease. Death and loss. Family and relationship challenges. Unemployment
and financial burdens. And while we may feel so very alone in all this,
we are hardly alone. The great I AM is always with us, in every thing,
in every moment. We have life with God here and now. Because HE IS, we
don't always have to be so brave and self-sufficient and independent.
During the waiting, in the between-ness, we can wail and cry, kick and
scream. He is still with us, through the thick and thin. Eventually 2006
ended and 2007 began, so also 2008. Friends and family added to the quarter
collection, California … Colorado , and before you knew it, Hawaii was
here. The set was finally completed, all 50 quarters collected. That will
be us one day when Jesus Christ comes again. Accomplished and completed.
No more sickness or pain or tears. Joy and peace forever.
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