Ripples of Time

Have you ever seen an oyster shell? They aren't uncommon. One of the most common shells you an pick up on the Northwest coast in fact, but have you ever really seen one?

I find them humble; homely. I don't like oysters. They have no real value to me. They aren't rare and therefore aren't treasure.

So, why am I even bringing them up if I am so indifferent to them? Knowledge. I found something out that made a difference.

Sprawling and uneven, it has the irregular shape of waves, movement, or even growth. Each is fitted and formed by its own struggle to survive. The rock, root, or shell that the oyster glues itself to will forever carry the scars from the lifetime attachment. The most ideal place for attachment is on the shell of another Oyster that is glued for life to an unyielding rock.
The longer it is attached the larger it grows. The most important function of an oyster is that it filters over 50 gallons of water in an hour. It is unique in the mollusk world in that it has gills in it's submerged shell that allow it to filter the water it takes in, leaving it better for the others who share the water with it.

Is life ever one size fits all? Is it ever, always beautiful and polished? I have spent the past 18.5 years married to one man (glued to him for life - tenaciously fought for). The cortex of my being bears the marks of growth. Knobby, uneven, undulating, but growth none-the-less. Our marriage has grown from simply the fragile bond of romance where the focus was upon ourselves to a bond of looking outward, reaching outward, working outward. Many bonds have formed a web that is taut and firm, intircate and enduring. Romance is only one strand of many now.
I would love to try to cure the signs of growth sometimes. I would love to be able to retreat to a shell that looks less like the mother of a sprawling family; something more petite, and with less wrinkles. That would not be freedom, however. That would put me back in a place of encumberance. I am an oyster. Fimly planted, for life, growing through the adversities & pleasantries, allowing that growth to take on a shape and form all it's own. My prayer is that what flows through me is clarified and becomes beneficial.
I hope others can look past the outter shell ~ and be fascinated by the glue.