Keep

What to keep.

In a life of constant sifting, what do we hang on to and what do we discard?

You probably realize already that I am not talking about the tangible.   Few material items have the power to draw me these days.

I press, instead, into the filtering of emotions, friendships, beliefs, truth.    

What filter do I use to reduce the mass of input into something that my consistently fragile heart can process and keep?

Each morning, we filter our coffee here in Honduras.   Why?  To eliminate the annoying grounds and emerge with a cup of heavenly joe worth keeping.  

Sometimes, we use a coffee sock, pictured above.  Sometimes, a coffee press.  

The coffee grounds are heated with boiling water and a rich cup of coffee comes forth.  There is an almost bitter taste to it, amidst the richness.

As I sift through my emotional 'grounds' and search for the treasure, I want to keep the purest, most authentic of memories and friendships.      Of course, I do.  It is just easier that way.

But I discover something.   As I try to leave the harshest hurts behind in the filter, I still taste the pain in the flavor of what emerges.    The flavor speaks of betrayal, loss, and yet, fullness.

And I keep it, realizing that the taste while carrying a bitterness, reflects a pure version of me.

And it is rich.