Make the Memory

I’ve been writing a lot lately about what I’ve been going through personally. Specifically going through the grief journey and what I’m learning along the way. While it certainly helps me to put my thoughts on paper, it isn’t the only reason I do so.

My prayer is that through the sharing of my journey, and the things God is teaching me along the way, it provides anyone who reads these posts hope and encouragement. Hope that if you ever find yourself in a similar situation, you will know that God will always be by your side. And encouragement for today, to do those things now that will leave you with as few regrets as possible, while at the same time creating a treasure trove of precious memories. This is where we’ll focus for our next few minutes.

I’ve just returned from spending a couple of days on what I call my “writing retreats”. I try to go somewhere I’ve never been, or somewhere that holds a special place in my heart. I write, I read, I walk (a lot!), I rest, and I seek out good coffee spots! (I was a solid 5 for 5 this time around!)

The first morning’s walk led me to put the words I heard God speak to me on paper and share them with you.

About 30 minutes in, as I was already so grateful for the things I’d seen and how God had shown up, I heard Him say, “This is why you do the things together while you can! Make the memories! So that someday, when there is only one of you, you will be able to experience these things alone and feel their presence because your memories of doing them together are so strong.”

For me that morning, those things included walking along a river and looking at beautiful gardens (with some of the same plants Barbara planted in our front yard at home). There were rock formations, bridges, and stone stairways. There were birds all around. And the thing that really hit me was the glass sculpture by an artist whose work Barbara and I both admired. We went to one of his galleries and visited the Atlanta Botanical Garden when they featured his work.

With all these things, I could hear Barbara beside me “oohing and aahing” and saying, “look over there!” I can honestly say it was one of the best walks I’ve had in quite some time.

When the walk was done, I captured these and other thoughts in my journal. The picture attached to this post was my view while doing so.

The moral of the story? Don’t waste your time! Don’t take time – or those closest to you – for granted. If you’ve read some of my other recent posts, you’ll see this is becoming a theme. There’s a reason. It’s important.

“We didn’t realize we were making memories, we just knew we were having fun.”

 ~ A.A. Milne