Counting Pearls from our Problems.

I am always amazed how God weaves the Gospel message into our daily lives through nature, and life experiences.

GRAND RAPIDS, MI (Catholic Online) - This year I decided to take my three children on a tubing adventure down the tranquil Stony Lake River. If you have children near the age of ten, seven and four you know just how much of a challenge this river adventure is going to be. Even if you don't have kids, I'm sure you have a good imagination of how this story will begin, perhaps, any thing but tranquil.

The adventure begins two hours prior, to pack the mini-van. Find clean beach towels. Blow up inner tubes. Where are those lifejackets? Who used the sun screen last and didn't put it back ? "Everyone needs water shoes on, so we don't cut our feet on the zebra muscles." I called, as I unloaded the bathing suits from the dryer. The seven year old was in the hallway, wiggling on the floor, struggling with his wetsuit zipper." This thing is jammed", he muttered.

In the mean time, I whip up pancakes for breakfast, help the four year old pick out a sundress. "Everyone uses the bathroom before we leave please!" Within moments the seven years old is chanting my name now from the bathroom. "Mom, Mom, Mom the toilet is backed up with toilet paper again!" This sparked a five minute lecture with all the children about toilet paper etiquette. Get the kids in the van, stuff two inner tubes and a raft in it looks like my airbags deployed inside the van I am low on gas. I could use some coffee. Geesh, I left the check book on the counter!, back to the house, back to the gas station. Now a 25 minute drive to Stony Lake, The four year old notices that that her wet shoes don't match her sundress.

We arrive at Stony Lake river side and there is now a heated discussion about who gets to ride in the cool green raft. I stuff everyone into life jackets. Minutes into our tubing adventure, Our seven year old Boy Logan, spots a ripple of water ahead and yells "Water Fall ahead were gonna Die!!" of course this strikes terror in the four year old. Who now is hyperventilating and sniffling for a half hour before she is comforted. Kate is struggling with the zebra muscles caught in her wet shoes, pleading with me, "Mom lets go back up the river, I need flip flops, and the zebra muscles are in my shoes and hurting my feet!. I can hear the distant native ducks fleeing the pond on our approach

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Did I mention that I imagined this was going to be a tranquil, peaceful, tubing experience down the winding river flats? "Help me Lord I prayed." 10 minutes before the river adventure ended. my daughter Kate spotted a clam. We were all taken by this interesting creature. I was curious to know if it had a pearl inside! "Should we open it?" I asked, the kids. Kate, the oldest replied with a stern "No mom you will kill it if you open it!" I wonder how it makes a pearl, I inquired.

Kate who loves the Discovery Channel responded with a most intelligent answer. - "Mom a tiny piece of sand got into a crack in the clam. The clam spits on the sand with something called Nacre.. The longer the sand is in there, the bigger the pearl gets. Logan inquired, "Can we keep it in our fish tank Mom?" I suspect our tank is way too small and it would die there too Logan, that clam needs this specific river bed to grow. I would image, God put it here to have just the right conditions, with big smiles we all agreed to toss the clam back into the riverbed left to grow another day.

I am always amazed how God weaves the Gospel message into our daily lives through nature, and life experiences. So often I feel just like a clam that has an irritating grain of sand in it.-Some days I would like to float down the tranquil river of life, be happy, and not struggle so much with life's problems and irritations, but. the Bible never says that Christians will have a carefree life. Actually, no person is exempt from problems, conflicts, burdens or pain.

The Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 13:7 "Love always bears up, believes, hopes and always endures", and in John 16:33, Jesus tells us these things so that we may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. I imagine if Jesus suffered the cross for us then He fully understands, our minor sufferings, surely he carries our burdens too. The entire book of Job is another interesting book about the man Job, who endured through great tribulations in his life.

I love Clams! And I love how the treasure within them is formed. Through struggle, irritation with maturity and acceptance. A pearl needs specific conditions to grow and the right river bed to grow in. My kids and I have now gone down Stony Lake River five times this summer, I know full well what kind of undertaking that is, each time we go, we face new challenges and struggles. Such is life. We endure the river of life Gathering our treasured clams, and "Counting Pearls From Our Problems" One day we will hand all our pearls over to the crown of "The King our Lord Jesus Christ"

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Marjory Erdman is a published children's author of the title "The Little Pumpkins Learn the Good News," she is certified in Youth Ministry studies from the Diocese of Grand Rapids Michigan. Marjory has 16 years experience as a domestic engineer, gifted with 3 children, Kate, Logan, and Jenna, she considers her best assets to be her Husband Steve, and most of all the privilege of being raised in the Catholic Faith.

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