The Lollipop’s End: Nothing Left

I went to pour out my breakfast cereal and the box was empty… I sat to write my daily musing and my mind was empty.

The old song says:

When you come to the end of a lollipop,
To the end, to the end, of a lollipop,
When you come to the end of a lollipop,
Plop goes your heart!

Gilly Oh golly, how I love my lolly,
Down to the very last lick,
But when you are through with it, what can you do with it,
All you have left is the stick…

I smile… but what do you do when you’ve got nothing left?

I’ve watched athletes: Training for months, meticulous planning, focusing on winning the key race of their season. They come to the end of their race, they’ve given their all. They’ve got nothing left.

I’ve watched teachers: Working twelve hour days, spending weekends preparing for the next week, giving, caring, worrying, sacrificing family and social life. At the end of term they’re exhausted. They’ve got nothing left.

I’ve watched mothers: Looking after their children organising, comforting, encouraging, playing, guiding, loving, giving all their physical and mental energy. At the end of the day they collapse on the sofa. They’ve got nothing left.

Pablo Picasso’s said: ‘The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.’

In a world where we encouraged to get, accumulate, earn money, buy new clothes or the latest gadget, Picasso’s saying that life’s purpose is to give.

Another old song says:
Love is something if you give it away
You end up having more…

The prayer of St Francis that starts ‘Make me a channel of your peace’ goes on to say ‘for it is in giving that we receive’.

Musing… Having ‘nothing left’ because I’ve given it away – like the athlete, teacher or mother is a good thing. Perhaps it’s what Paul meant when he said that Jesus gave his life…