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| wild daisy at Arlington Recreational Park Arlington, Vermont 2 October 2010 photo by faithe M T |
Memories. I love memories! (most of them anyways!)
The song "Memory" is especially poignant. I remember loving the musical, "Cats" when it came to our area back in 1990..... that song really resonated with me at the time.(if you've never seen the show, I highly recommend it....it's different.) Here are some of my fave lines from that song:
"I can dream of the old days, life was beautiful then. I remember the time I knew what happiness was....let the memory live again." (from "Memory" by Andrew Lloyd Weber).
I have a lot of fond memories from childhood, college, grad school, first teaching job/career, wedding, honeymoon, vacations, extended family gatherings, church events, and friends. But I think the best memories of all, are the ones I am making with my children. Life is smooth-sailing right now, at this point in time. I had a difficult beginning to 2010, with being a bit stressed- out over some things I was struggling with...I was clinging to memories that were good and happy yet there were so many dynamics going on in my life at that time that those memories were becoming clouded. During the summer, my children really helped me put things in perspective. Children are great that way, aren't they? It doesn't matter if people misunderstand you or act bitter/unforgiving towards you....you can still cling to the good memories and pray things work out in time and/or distance. Children are so quick to forgive and forget..I wish adults were!
So...in putting aside some "cloudiness", I pressed in to grab hold of the Son who helped make my days shine brighter again...and in doing so, the Lord used my children to comfort me. They weren't even aware they were doing anything, other than being their normal, happy selves.
So...I started thinking that making memories is a special thing. Because no one can take our memories away from us! They are in our minds and hold a special place in our hearts. I know that nothing is an accident with God.....just like I know there are no coincidences with God. Nothing can stop the power of God!
I have been thinking for weeks now that making memories this year will be very important to me, Dave, and the girls. It is our last year with our oldest at home. She will be graduating in June! So....I am not only preparing her for life in a dorm, but I am treasuring each and every moment we share this school year.
Here are a few highlights from our weekend: We went to Vermont, about 45 minutes to the east of us, so she could take some pictures for her art portfolio. We decided to go even though Dave was away on a youth group leaders retreat. We are so glad we took the day to do this. Saturday was a gorgeous autumn day here in the capital region of NYS and in Vermont it was the same, only cooler.
We stopped at the Bennington Battlefield Monument. We hadn't been there as a family in a number of years, since Courtney was an elementary student & Claire was a preschooler.
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| Faith and Courtney Bennington Battlefield Bennington, Vermont 2 October 2010 pic by Claire R T |
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| Claire and the painted Moose Bennington Monument Vermont |
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| Faith and Courtney Arlington Rec Park Arlington, Vermont |
After taking several pics of the Green Mountains,the Bennington Battlefield Monument, and each other in Bennington,Vermont, we headed to Arlington for more pictures and to relax by a small lake I used to take the girls to. It includes a play area, sports fields and lovely bench swings. (Before getting to Bennington, we stopped at some antique shoppes we like to browse through just before getting into town, and ate lunch at the deli on the shoppe grounds). We had such a fun, relaxing day. And Courtney managed to take lots of good pictures for her portfolio. She is also planning on doing a sketch from one of them.
The best memories for me, though, were having my 17 year old, my precious Courtney, just throw her arms around me to let Claire snap our pic! Courtney rarely shows physical affection so this was very special to me.
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| Faith with Claire (age 11) on the swing at Arlington Rec Park Vermont |
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| Claire and Courtney Arlington, Vermont 2 October 2010 |
Savoring each moment with my daughters. They cheer me up when I am down. They make me laugh. They bring me to my knees so I can intercede for them. They keep me on my toes! They bring me to my knees so I can stay in tune with our Savior and try to parent them! They humble me. I thank God I have the privilege of raising them here on this earth. I thank the Lord they both have given their hearts to Jesus.
Even more so, I praise and thank Him for allowing us to make memories.....I thank Him for freeing my mind and heart from the bondage of guilt, shame, and fear from past mistakes like failed friendship, parenting mistakes, marital strife, or just plain ole sin! I praise Him for giving me children who are open, honest, and loving......
Life is beautiful.
I know what happiness is.
The memories are living again. All of them.
Memories........
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| Walking across boards in flooded lake Arlington, Vermont 2 October 2010 |
3 comments:
Memories are wonderful! And your photos of your girls are precious. They're long-legged and lovely.
Making memories takes planning, doesn't it? There's some work up front, but the effort is worth a lifetime of pleasure...
(((Hugs)))
I remember the year before Kim left memories really were forefront in my mind too. Looks like your making some great ones with your girls.
Sounds like a fabulous day! I'm so glad you'll always have these memories!
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