"Memory is a child walking along a seashore. You never can tell what small pebble it will pick up and store away among its treasured things." ~Pierce Harris
This past weekend my mother, grandmother and aunt made the six-hour drive from Northern California to visit us in SoCal. On Sunday, we strolled Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica and then made an impromptu stop at the beach. It was this sweet little 2 year old's first time since he was a baby. So we rolled up the boy's pants legs and let them splash and be splashed. Pure bliss. I loved that my mother was there to see the joy on their faces.
It was a lovely visit, but one that was bittersweet around the edges because my father was not here to enjoy all of this. Bittersweet that he's gone from us for the rest of our lives. Hurts. Then the hurt subsides a bit when we start reminiscing about him...calling on our memory to bring back the laughter and good times we shared with him.
I love how God gave us a memory and the capacity to recall those perfect little moments of life just when we need them. When my mind wants to stop and cry over the pain my father endured his last days, instead I remember his hearty laughter, his love for these two grandsons of his, his knack for cooking, the way his mind worked like an encyclopedia...then I stop and realize that we are making memories now. Perfect memories on a beautiful Sunday at the beach. Memories that these two little boys will cherish for years to come. Memories that this momma will draw on when her two boys are men.
And I find myself doing that more....calling on my memory to bring up the good to push back the bad. So I continue my 1,000 Gift List: blessings that are flooding my mind even now.
315. A hug from my momma
316. Kissing my 88-year-old grandmother's cheek
317. Soaking up the wisdom of my elders
318. Wrestling boys
319. Dinner plates scraped clean
320. A thank you card with a gift tucked inside for me
321. A 2 year old in his new big boy bed
322. Faith-filled friends
323. Being a prisoner of hope
324. Prayer and repentance
325."Fading" by Audra Lynn
326. Straight talk about God's deliverance
327. Snaggletooth smiles


