The Real Treasure: A Sunrise, a Goddess, and an Unexpected Gift

This morning in Lincoln City, the beach was alive with people—heads down, eyes scanning the grass, searching for glass floats hidden along the shoreline. I thought the city must have advertised a float drop for the new year. There were always people looking for float but rarely this many. As I watched dozens of people comb the beach, I turned my eyes skyward.

Above us, the sky was turning purple.

The sunrise was breathtaking. Gold melting into rose, rose dissolving into lavender, the whole sky filled by light fluffy clouds. And yet most people didn’t look up. They were so focused on finding a treasure in the sand that they missed the miracle happening right above them.

As I stood there, bathed in that light, I felt a quiet truth rise in me:

The real treasure is the light in the sky—because it’s the same light that lives in our souls.

We spend so much of our lives searching outward, hoping to stumble upon something rare, something magical, something that will make us feel chosen. But sometimes the universe is already offering us everything we’re seeking… if we’re willing to lift our gaze.

Calling Beauty In

Lately I’ve been thinking about Lakshmi—the Hindu goddess of beauty, abundance, and prosperity. Not prosperity in the materialistic sense, but in the sense of fullness, radiance, and inner wealth. She is often honored with flowers, and I’ve been feeling called to bring more of that energy into my home.

So I decided I would buy flowers for my table on the way home. A simple act of devotion. A way of saying yes to beauty, yes to abundance, yes to the sacred feminine presence that Lakshmi embodies.

A Gift Waiting on the Roadside

Before getting to the store, I passed an empty Airbnb. And there, sitting on the side of the road as if placed just for me, was a full flower arrangement—fresh, vibrant, and stunning. Roses, lilies, greenery, all arranged with care.

A gift. Abandoned. Overlooked.

I stopped in my tracks.

It felt like Lakshmi herself had whispered, You don’t need to buy flowers. Here is beauty freely given.

I carried the arrangement the last mile home, cradling it like something sacred. And as I walked, I kept thinking about how one person’s treasure can be invisible to another. How something created with love can be left behind without a second thought. How beauty is always offering itself to us, but we don’t always recognize it.

Just like the sunrise. Just like the light in our own hearts. Just like the gifts the universe places in our path when we’re open enough to see them.

The Treasure Is Always Here

This morning reminded me that abundance isn’t something we chase—it’s something we notice. Something we allow. Something we receive.

The sunrise. The flowers. The unexpected blessings. The quiet moments of connection. The light that lives within us and reflects back through the world.

The real treasure is never hidden. It’s shining right in front of us. It’s shining through us.

All we have to do is look up.