Memories are powerful. They take us back to a time and place that has been wedged into our minds and won’t let go. Some are precious, others painful. But all are a part of the tapestry of our lives, the God-given experiences that define who we are,

Twelve years ago, my husband and I and our two tween-age boys moved to a new house on our farm property because our old farmhouse was becoming unlivable. I had lived there fifteen years, my husband, his entire life.

Last week, I drove to our old place to eat with my husband while he stopped for lunch. (He still farms the property surrounding the house). While I was waiting for him, I took a stroll through the yard, pausing in various places. I’d done the same thing numerous times since our move, but this time was different.

 

SHARED MEMORIES

Our oldest son is getting married in little over a week, so maybe it’s the nostalgic mood I’m in, but as I strolled around the yard, there wasn’t a spot that didn’t draw a memory of some sort. From building snowmen and tunnels to batting practice and broken shed windows. Raising wild turkeys and watching them clean crickets out of empty grain bins. Building castles in the sandbox. Carving jack-o-lanterns. Reading with my boys on the porch swing.

Every square foot of that yard took me back, bringing smiles and laughter. Like a breached dam, the memories flooded my heart and mind. Memories our family alone can share in.

 

SCRIPTURE MEMORIES

These past seven months, as I’ve been dealing with  a cancer diagnosis, a friend of mine has sent me a card with a Scripture verse every week. I now have over twenty. Isn’t that amazing? Thank you, Hope!

I read through them all every morning, putting some to memory. But, there is one verse in particular that, each time I read it, draws a memory.

“Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in him,
    for he shields him all day long,
    and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders.”

 

Each time I read that verse, I get an image in my head of when my husband and I used to carry our sons in a backpack while we hiked a trail. Inevitably, they would fall asleep and we would have to peel the carrier off and let them finish out their nap.

What a beautiful picture of God and how He carries us between His shoulders. With Him, we are safe, secure, able to rest peacefully as a child rests with his parents. No fear, only rest and peace.

Now isn’t that something wonderful to strive for and take comfort in? When all the world is filled with unrest and struggle, when our health fails, when hardships come, we can find rest between our Heavenly Daddy’s shoulders.

Where do you find rest and peace from your struggles?

INSPIRATIONAL NOVELS

Stories of faith and resilience on the Midwest prairie 

Inspirational Historical Romance

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