Everybody Needs a Stash

I’ve got a stash at home. It’s in my writing desk middle drawer on the right. And it’s a secret.

Ha! In reality, it’s a secret to no one since I’ve written about it more than once here on my blog and have mentioned it numerous times in my books.

Nevertheless,  it’s my stash. And no one is allowed to touch it except me. It contains my favorite special treasures. I think it’s a holdover from my childhood in that regard, only my childhood stash was different – it concealed my diary, a Davy Jones photo, a tiny fuzzy stuffed mastodon my daddy brought me back from a business trip, and a gum wrapper from my first ever time sitting by a real boy at the Saturday afternoon movie matinee.

He never took my hand that I brazenly laid on the armrest between us, palm up like a dead roach. But the Juicy Fruit was good.

I’m not home at the moment, so my current stash is a little anemic. I notice it’s mostly chocolate. Wonder what that says about me. I guess my priorities have changed a little.

I used to have a stash of secret money. It was when my kids were young and money was tight. A roll of bills I collected over years of teaching piano lessons squirreled away beneath my bed wrapped in tissue paper and stored in a shoebox. I set aside $10 each month in my stash for “something special” – although I had no idea what. We had very little money back then, nothing extra outside of paying bills, that’s for sure, so it felt like insurance in case of emergency. I was very proud that I had the foresight to create such a clever backup.

Then one night I awoke from a dead sleep to the noise of ripping paper and strange thumps beneath my head. My dog had unearthed my hidden stash and by the time I spotlighted him with a flashlight, he had peeled the protective tissue paper like a banana and had the roll of twenty $10 bills held upright between his front paws, preparing to take a bite.

It was then I realized that stashes aren’t as bulletproof as we might think.

But still. We like to pretend, don’t we?

So what’s in your stash? Don’t shake your head like that – I know you have one. Even if it’s not a physical stash, it’s a collection of thoughts, or memories, or poems, or songs, or experiences that you value. Your treasure chest. Your special blessings.

And you know, I think we all need one. A stash of special favorite things, secret or not. Things that make us smile when we’re down. Warm up our emotions when they’re cold. Feel secure when we’re shaky. Reminders that Papa God has blessed us with these meaningful special things in our stash because He loves us and will continue to bless us over and over again in the future. It’s a treasure trove of hope, really.

Please do share with us, your community of BFFs (Blessed Friends Forever), about the contents of your stash. We want to get to know you better.  Hugs from Deb!