Sandra Heska King

daring to open doors

  • Home
  • About
  • DISCLOSURES
    • Amazon Affiliate
    • Book Reviews
  • Published
  • Contact
  • Blog
    • Commit Poetry
    • Dared

What is Real?

September 9, 2011 By Sandra Heska King

 

Joining Lisa Jo again today for another Five Minute Friday, where we spill from the heart. What comes, comes. What spills, spills. No fixing allowed.

Today’s prompt is in real life . . .

GO!

“What is real?” asked the Velveteen Rabbit.

And the Skin Horse tells him it’s when someone loves you, really loves you for a long, long time.

That it doesn’t happen all at once and that once you become real, most of your hair falls off, your eyes drop out, and you get very shabby.

But it doesn’t doesn’t matter because once you are real, you can never be ugly.

Real is forever. It lasts for always.

I feel really shabby sometimes.

My hair’s not shedding–much–and a dab of color helps hide the gray.

But shhh–only my hairdresser knows that for sure.

My eyes haven’t fallen out, but I do struggle to thread a needle.

And I’m learning more and more that wearing masks is exhausting.

That being real brings freedom.

That my real life is not visible.

It’s the one that’s hidden in Christ.

A spirit roughed up until softened.

Real is in the becoming.

The life of the heart, loved from before the beginning and forever and forever.

Because this life is not the real one.

This life here on earth will end.

And my real life is the one that will begin when this one ends.

But in this real life of heartache and frustrations and even joys, I’m grateful for invisible friends, real friends who hurt with me, carry me, rejoice with me.

You.

You are real to me.

STOP!

 

Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life—even though invisible to spectators—is with Christ in God. He is your life. When Christ (your real life, remember) shows up again on this earth, you’ll show up, too—the real you, the glorious you. Meanwhile, be content with obscurity, like Christ.
~Colossians 3:3-4 (Message)

Share this:

  • Email
  • Print
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest

Filed Under: writing

Comments

  1. Calypso says

    September 9, 2011 at 11:02 pm

    I remember the teacher reading the Velveteen Rabbit to us in 3rd grade.. gosh I don’t remember the story…
    Thanks for your encouraging words…….

  2. Melinda Lancaster says

    September 9, 2011 at 11:15 pm

    Love your thoughts. Love you. Love the Scripture. Looking forward to our “real life.”
    LYI

  3. diana says

    September 10, 2011 at 12:47 am

    Well…this beautiful and deeply spiritual reflection just puts me to SHAME. I went so far in the opposite direction tonight, it ain’t even funny. Always surprises me what comes out of these fingertips. And tonight – it weren’t more than an inch deep. Sigh. Sometimes I just don’t want to be deep, I guess. :>)

    I am grateful for your invisible friendship, Sandy. More than I can say.

    And I thank you for this lovely writing.

  4. S. Etole says

    September 10, 2011 at 1:54 pm

    We live the real while we wait for the real … it’s an interesting time.

  5. Lisa-Jo @thegypsymama says

    September 11, 2011 at 11:58 pm

    Oh one of my all time favorite stories! Hadn’t made that connection to in real life – thank you for sharing it!

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Meet Sandra

I’m Sandra, a camera-toting, recovering doer who’s learning to be. still. Read more…

Get updates from the stillness by email

Your personal information is safe and will never be shared.

Archives

Categories

Instagram Inspiration

sandraheskaking

Happy first day of fall from my backyard to yours. Happy first day of fall from my backyard to yours.
Just another backyard photo… Just another backyard photo…
From my backyard tonight. From my backyard tonight.
Just another sunset. Just another sunset.
“I would like people to remember of me, how inex “I would like people to remember of me, how inexhaustible was her mindfulness.” ~ Mary Oliver in “ A Little Ado About This and That.”
Current situation. Current situation.
“This spark of life that wavest wings of gold” “This spark of life that wavest wings of gold” ~ Thomas Wentworth Higginson in “Ode to a Butterfly”
🦋
We pulled all the milkweed because it just could not support all the caterpillars. They were eating it bare and most of them died because they ran out of food. This one butterfly found this one lone volunteer.
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright futur "I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority." ~ E.B. White (as quoted on today's page in my Franklin Planner)
"May you experience each day as a sacred gift wove "May you experience each day as a sacred gift woven around the heart of wonder." ~ John O'Donohue in "For Presence" from To Bless the Space Between Us
🌴
Tri-colored heron stalking breakfast in my backyard.
“. . neighbor’s tree hangs heavy with mangoes “. .  neighbor’s tree hangs heavy with mangoes. They are moving in a week. They say a family from Belarus bought the house. I hope they don’t care much for mangoes.”
**
“Beautiful Sweet Things” at https://sandraheskaking.substack.com/
"People do not grow old. When they cease to grow t "People do not grow old. When they cease to grow they become old.” ~ Emerson

It's been a while since I've written anything on my blog. Like 3 years. But I just wrote my first post on Substack. Come see?

https://sandraheskaking.substack.com/p/ten-years-ten-things
Spent a couple hours this morning with friends fro Spent a couple hours this morning with friends from @spanishriverchurch picking up beach trash. Little bits of colored and clear plastic, big bits of plastic, bottle caps, broken glass, strings, ropes, straws, socks, fast food containers, paper, cigarette holders and filters—and a couple unmentionables. Took extra care around the turtle nests. Last count was about 70 pounds, but there were also some bigger things like an abandoned chair and a plastic tent. And a big piece of burlap or something with a fishing lure and giant hook attached. D found a Macy’s gift card that he almost tossed in his bucket. But we brought it home to check the balance—$24.60! We should be able to turn that into something useful for someone. 😊
H Already dead, I am living my afterlife here in t H
Already dead, I am
living my afterlife
here
in the form of a human.
~ Xueyan from Time Peels All to Original White

Thanks to @tspoetry for introducing me to this beautiful collection via an Every Day Poems selection.
The cats attacked the window all night. The dog wo The cats attacked the window all night. The dog woofed all night. This morning we discovered the would-be burglar imprisoned between the screen and the glass on our bedroom slider. 

When I stepped out to release it (no bail), I was surprised by this brief bit of backyard beauty.
For most of us, knowledge of our world comes large For most of us, knowledge of our world comes largely through sight, yet we look about with such unseeing eyes that we are partially blind. One way to open your eyes to unnoticed beauty is to ask yourself, "What if I had never seen this before? What if I knew I would never see it again?" ~ Rachel Carson in The Sense of Wonder
#prayformsu #spartanstrong #spartannurse #michigan #prayformsu #spartanstrong #spartannurse #michiganstateuniversity
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faith Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. ~ Psalm 136:1
A tale of two iguanas... I did not see the iguana A tale of two iguanas... I did not see the iguana in the background until I downloaded the photos. That, I believe, is the one that got caught in one of the openings in the neighbor's chain link fence. We tried in several (safe) ways to dislodge it without luck and could think of no other option but to leave it. Somehow it apparently dislodged itself. We also believe this is the pair that was getting into another neighbor's garden. We haven't seen either one since the last cold snap, so we are wondering if they survived. 
🌱
Thinking some may have tumbled from their perches last night. Pretty sure it will be raining iguanas tonight since we are under a frost advisory. It's cold. And windy.
Just sing... sing a song... Singing our way into Just sing... sing a song... 

Singing our way into the weekend.
"We don't just see. We learn to see." ~ Russ Ramse "We don't just see. We learn to see." ~ Russ Ramsey in Rembrandt is in the Wind
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Get the Mug

Embrace the life you have t s poetry mug

Privacy Policy

Full privacy policy is available HERE.

I Read Light

TSP-Red button

bibledude-net



Sponsor a Child

Join the Compassion Blogger Network

[footer_backtotop]

Copyright © 2023 Sandra Heska King · Site by The Willingham Enterprise, LLC on the Genesis Framework by StudioPress · Log in