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A Memory from August 13, 2021

One of the sweetest moments during my medical furlough in 2021 is also one of the simplest ones. Sitting on a glider (that originally belonged to my grandmother) my father and I strung a bucket full of string beans and talked.

We talked about life

We talked about ministry

And mostly we talked about the past

He shared stories with me about his mother (my grandmother) and my great-grandmother who I had never met. As we sat stringing those beans, I learned more and more about the family members who had gone before me.

Life moves incredibly fast! We almost always seem to be focused on the future, and doing what’s next. There is nothing sinful about this of course. But sometimes it helps to take a breath and remember the past.

1. To be thankful for those who worked so hard so we can enjoy what we have
2. To tell the same old stories we’ve heard millions of times (and laugh again)
3. To remember the important life lessons they shared
4. To miss them in our hearts

As we finished our bucket of green beans a buck came up out of the woods, looked around, and then went back down. In the silence of that moment, I was proud of my parents and extended family.

And rededicated myself to making them proud of me.