A memory

It was a beautiful day.

I was walking towards the two story building, my stride quick, I was feeling good and had things to do, when I met her at the bottom of the stairs.

We greeted one another and she put her arm around me in a side hug.

She placed her other hand on my stomach.

“Can I fatten you up? You’re just too skinny!”

She laughed, a beautiful laugh, full of joy, as if the idea of cooking for me was a thrill.

As I was taller I leaned over and gently rested my head on top of hers as I squeezed her with my arm around her shoulders.

“No!” I laughed too. “As much as I’d like that, my doctor says my body doesn’t process food correctly and that’s why I’m so thin, but thank you for your offer!”

We laughed and hugged.

Her hand still rested on my stomach as we briefly exchanged pleasantries.

We hugged again before she headed towards the parking lot and I into the building.

Her love and warmth stayed with me and I thanked God for her.

A bit later, I received a phone call.

It was a friend of mine, not the sweet lady who offered to feed me.

“So, I have a weird question to ask you.”

This surprised me a bit, but didn’t phase me too much.

“Absolutely, what can I do for you?*

“Uhm, did I remember it correctly that you had to have a hysterectomy a few years ago?”

“Yes! It was God’s blessing to me, as without the surgery I probably would have died. Why?”

“Well…” She paused to let out a stifled giggle.

“I guess some office ladies saw you talk and laughing in the parking lot with…they thought you were pregnant!”

I couldn’t keep from laughing!

My friend laughed too.

“Oh! I can totally see how they thought that! She even had her hand on my stomach! No, I’m not pregnant. You can tell everyone that I had a hysterectomy a few years ago. But that’s incredibly funny!”

“I thought so!”

We laughed again and hung up.

She promised to put to death the rumor.

I hadn’t thought of this moment in a long time.

But it came back as if it had just happened when I received the news yesterday.

My sweet friend who wanted to cook for me, the lady who never let me walk by without a hug or a quick pat of the hand and a warm smile went to be with Jesus.

I haven’t seen her since we moved out of the area, but I had heard her health wasn’t good just before we moved due to my failing health.

I didn’t know she was in the hospital, but I do know she loved Jesus.

It’s the greatest part of salvation: this life isn’t the end.

John 3:15 KJV — That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank You for salvation! Thank You for the many wonderful people You have placed in our lives. Thank You for my friend who is in Your arms today. Thank You for Your love and faithfulness. Lord, I know You are walking us forward into Your truth and guiding us daily. Lord, for those who are hurting, please heal them. For those who are grieving, please comfort them. For those who are discouraged, bring them hope. For those who are in need, sustain them. For those who lack, help them wait upon Your provision. For those who are lost, bring them the light of Your sacrifice and love through Your death and resurrection. Thank You, Jesus. Amen.

A tender memory

Maybe it’s just the season of life I’m in.

Possibly, it’s because I’ve been feeling poorly.

Whatever the reason, I was struck by a memory today that brought tears to my eyes.

I had driven Hubby to work, because I needed to get my allergy shots.

I’m still cleaning out closets and going through things, but I already had three bags full and decided to drop them off after my appointment.

As I lifted one, I’d done weeks before and been forgotten in the closet, my eye caught the fabric through the stretched plastic bag.

I put the bag back down and just stared.

It was like I’d stepped back into the past and saw in my memory the little boy that was so excited about me buying it.

He had a special stuffed frog, and he liked the fact that this fabric had frogs too.

His frog was named Sean-the-Frog.

I have no idea why, I just clearly remember him saying, “His name is Sean-the-Frog.”

I think he had his own way of naming things.

This frog had been a last minute purchase at an airport gift shop, because we were flying to the UK and I realized he needed a pillow.

After we came back from our trip the pillow lived on his bed.

Which prompted my purchase of the fabric.

I’d planned on making him a blanket.

Unfortunately, I never did.

But I’ve hung on to the fabric.

When cleaning out a chest weeks ago, I figured I’d just give it away, that little boy is now 16 and no longer has bright green bedding nor does Sean-the-Frog live in his room.

He’s been moved to “the cave”, a small closet under the stairs we keep all kinds of toys in for visiting children.

But I went to town and donated our stuff after getting my shots and the fabric stayed behind.

Because I want to fulfill my promise to our son and make it a blanket.

Who knows, maybe he will want it again in the future.

If not, I’ll have it ready to bless whoever God puts on my heart.

I’m certain, the Lord has a plan for this frog fabric.

Until then, I can enjoy the memory of our little boy which it ignites.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 KJV — To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank You for today. Thank You for the memory of our son and the ability to look backwards at all the things You have done in his life. Lord, I am touched by how You work through even the smallest things and I thank you for them. Lord, You know all our seasons. You hold every detail in your hands. Your ways are perfect and Your Word is life. Thank You. May our lives bring You glory and our hearts find joy in humble service to You and those You place in our lives. I love You, Jesus. Amen.

The gift of times past

Sis, Bell, and Anne were the reason it began.

Years ago, I wanted to give my husband something he’d have at work to look at, reminding him of his little girls.

I made sure to glue in some of their artwork along with their pictures.

Often, I would add a comic cut from the newspaper.

As we pulled one after another out of a box, Anne asked me when I started making calendars.

“Honestly, I can’t remember.”

I’m so very glad I did.

It has been so fun to look back through them now and again.

At first I always used blank calendars and had to do everything, including write in the date for every day of the year.

I’ll be honest, I messed up more than once!

When I learned how to download my pictures into premade templates and order them, the hours crafting a calendar dropped significantly.

Funny thing though.

My husband liked the homemade ones better.

He’s sweet and knows it’s easier for me to do the online thing, so he’s never complained.

I think the only time he might complain is if he didn’t receive a calendar at Christmas.

Each year the whole family enjoys flipping through the newest calendar on Christmas Day.

No matter the template I use, I’m sure to include two things: pictures of our children and verses from the Bible.

Because our family wouldn’t be if it weren’t for Jesus.

He’s the reason we have memories to look back on.

His love and provision has sustained us through thick and thin, health and illness, times apart and togetherness, little and much.

The Lord is the reason we are the family that we are.

And it seems especially important to praise Him for holding our family.

Today is my husband’s birthday.

He doesn’t like parties or fuss of that sort.

But I feel secure that he won’t mind me thanking God for him.

Thanking the Lord for the memories of past years, months, weeks…days.

Thanking the Lord for giving me to my husband as wife: his beloved, his friend, the mother of his children, and a fellow follower of Christ.

I’m thanking God for the love we share.

Our relationship has deepen and grown and we are both deeply in love with one another.

I praise God for His blessings upon our family.

I praise God for His continual provision.

I praise God for my husband.

“Happy Birthday, Handsome!”

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank You for the birth of my husband. Thank You that he loves and serves You. Thank You that he loves and provides for us. Lord, please continue to guide, direct, and speak to him. Give him discernment with our family, our finances, his occupation, and our family dynamics. Lord Jesus, guard him from the enemy. Place a watch over his eyes, his heart, and his mind. Keep his feet planted firmly upon Your paths. Please let his words be full of wisdom, understanding, and Your Word. Thank You so much for all Your blessings and love. Thank You for our family. Amen.

A keepsake

The longest we have lived in one place is seven years.

Then the Lord moved us here.

Before that our longest had been five years.

It’s been good for me.

I’ve learned a lot.

One of the lessons has been in letting go.

God never wants me to cling to things.

But He has also surprised me in this season we are walking in.

Not long ago I was in the kitchen when my husband came from the garage.

His new job has required his focus and he’s not gotten his garage just the way he wants it yet, but he’s working on it.

That’s what he had been doing when he came in.

His eyes held mine tenderly as he reached out his hand.

His blackened fingers (something I love about him, he works with his hands just like my dad did) grasped something which he placed gently in mine.

I had no idea what it was.

“Look at the inscription.”

So, I turned it over till I found the initials carved into the metal.

I knew exactly what they stand for.

It was as if time fell away.

And my bare feet were standing upon the concrete of our driveway.

My long brown hair carefully braided and still wet from running through the sprinkler in the lawn.

My father working on Mom’s car in the driveway.

His tools carefully laid out on his work towels.

And there was Grandpa, talking to Daddy, bent over looking under the hood.

It’s not a real memory.

More like a collage of memory scraps all pasted on top of one another, making a whole picture.

So, how did a small piece of initialed metal cause this?

Because it was a tool used by my Grandfather and given to my dad which eventually was passed on to my husband.

All three men worked on machines of one kind or another.

My husband said he’d been going through his tool box and found it.

Tools have come a long way and this one is pretty obsolete compared to the other sets he has.

But he knew I’d want to keep it.

So, now it’s sitting in my room.

A reminder of how incredible God truly is.

It’s also an opportunity to pray for my extended family.

I doubt I’ll keep this forever.

It needs to move on, into the possession of another man who works with his hands.

But until the Lord shows me who He wants to bless with it, I’m happy to let it remind me of my childhood.

To let it spur me to prayer.

And to praise God for His unfathomable love and care.

Truly,

2 Samuel 7:22 KJV — Wherefore thou art great, O LORD God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank You for this keepsake. It means so much to me that You would care about a tiny insignificant detail like this. But You understand things that I will never comprehend. Thank You for all Your love and mercy. Thank You for sustaining me throughout every part of my life. Thank You that life has seasons and in each one You have a plan and a purpose. Please help my eyes to be open to what You are doing in this season. Please help my mouth to speak only Your words of encouragement or exhortation. Please let my feet never stray from Your paths. Thank You, Jesus. I love You. Amen.

Birthday joys

He wanted Daddy to see this sign.

He thought it was funny that someone would think toys and bikes would go in the garage.

(Ours live in the shed.)

The day was full of memories made since the trip was to celebrate his birthday next month.

Strange as it may sound Grandma  (my mom) and Jase had arranged for them to make this birthday trip back before the wedding this summer.

We spent hours in two different stores.

We ate lunch and drove home.

It was fun.

It was a memory made and time well spent.

Funny how some of the most important memories are not the ones you expect.

Our daughters were chatting about a memory.

They started with : “I remember this one place you and Dad took us that was so fun, but for some reason we only went there once.”

I asked them to describe it.

“Well it was a big room full of balls with a small slide we could go down into the balls as much as we wanted to.”

I giggled!

The only place we ever took the family which had a room like the one they described was a furniture store when we purchased a new couch.

What I thought was really interesting was we had taken them to Chucky Cheese that day as well, but what they remembered was the furniture store.

Sometimes I wonder what kind of memories they will have about me.

What things will they see as my priorities?

How am I using my everyday with them as a blessing to help mold their future?

Until recently I’d never really thought about the time as a child being short, but when my husband kissed me and said, “I’ve been married to you longer than I lived with my parents” I was struck with the reality that childhood is fleeting.

Since the moments of memories are short I want to plant seeds of truth, love, and hope which all point to Jesus.

How?

Frankly, I’m not always sure.

Yet, I’m trusting the Lord to guide me and I’m listening for the still small voice.

And this too might be a way.

To write down my thoughts, struggles and prayers for in my weakness Jesus is found.