Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.
Genesis 9:16
Girlfriends, do you remember....?
Ahh, memories, and the emotions sparked by them, lighting fires that warm the night as we reminisce. Looking back, time often blurs the edges around the moments I recall. The details sometimes change but the heart of the matter remains. That is, until someone finds a video recording of "the moment," and I get to view my younger, immature self, frozen in time and electronic space. Suddenly the details are crystal clear and less romantic than I envisioned! Nonetheless, I treasure that footage of the roads we traveled, the homes we occupied, and the children we raised, inadequate and inexperienced as we were!
My children and their generation will carry the blessing and the curse of the camcorder age. Always in the spotlight, no event or activity goes unrecorded. Their memories are influenced by digital preservation. While viewing first steps, first words, and other firsts is exciting, our kids do not have the luxury of glamorizing the days gone by. There will be no "I walked five miles to and from school every day, and up hill each way" because the video of the trip only lasts five minutes and contains no gasping for breath or complaining of aching legs!
On the flip side, viewing the vivid details, full length, and often including the happy faces of since departed relatives, can bring joy and comfort. I somewhat envy my kids. I would love to observe myself entering the world, discovering it as a toddler and preschooler, and attempting to conquer it as child and teenager! My physical memory is horrible. I treasure the videos I shot and often comment, "Hmmm, I don't remember the bedroom in that house looking like that," or "What was I thinking dressing you like that and feeding you tv dinners at 18 months old!"
This week as we celebrated Mother's Day together with some of the kids and my own mom, we sat in the kitchen watching a few of these home videos on the computer. I can honestly say the emotional roller coaster was up and running. I laughed. I cried. I laughed until I cried at times. Honestly, though, my fondest moment came a day before as the kids and I sat around a table eating with one another.
Between bites, my son said something he thought was comical. My oldest daughter promptly informed him that what he said was the oldest grade school joke around and was not really even funny. Then my other daughter stated that she vividly remembered hearing one joke in grade school, and it was not the one my son just said. Naturally, we asked her to tell her joke, following which we busted a gut laughing for about ten minutes. (Unfortunately, grade school jokes are usually corny, inappropriate, and involve potty talk, so I will not print it here.)
Later, the girls shared the joke with Gramma Sharon, who found it only slightly amusing; however, the girls soaked another ten minutes of laughter out of round two! Once the giggling subsided, I asked my mom if she remembered any jokes from her childhood school days. Cocking her head to the side, searching her brain, she finally declared that indeed she could not recall a single one. "Odd," I thought. My mom has been telling us jokes for as long as I can remember. I wondered when she first found her sense of humor, and better yet, why could we not have video of that? I longed for my grandma or papa in that instant so that I could ask them about mom as a child.
Sharing stories and special memories with one another is such a vital part of family life. I wish I had recognized earlier in time the value of our history so I would have taken the time to listen, to ask, and even to record. Girlfriends, we are exceedingly important to one another. The fibers of our life are woven into a beautiful tapestry, intertwined with our loved ones. So how is that we can know so little about the people with whom we are bound? Perhaps we so often have trouble seeing the bigger picture because we ignore the fact that one exists and that it is comprised of the essence of the individuals surrounding us.
Today, I pray you will seek the bigger picture. Take time to share your memories with your family (and friends) but please also listen to their narrative as well. Watch video if you have it. Ask questions: What was your favorite joke when you were in school? How did you get to school? Did you bring lunch from home? What games did you play at recess? Who was your first boyfriend/girlfriend? Record the answers--maybe with a video camera, or possibly in writing--so that future generations will be blessed and informed.
Ladies, I also pray that you will seek (and share) God's story as well. Wouldn't we all love it if God had created the video camera when He was working out the details of the Garden of Eden? But, alas, He did not, and probably for good reason! His Story, the Bible, is living and active today. The recorded history is from real people but the lessons from God's Word apply to us this very moment. Seeing the bigger picture means knowing our story--whether an hour ago, fifty years ago, or back to the first day when "God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning —the first day." Gen 1:3-5
Girlfriends, do you remember....? Ask. Listen. Share. Laugh. Cry. Learn. Love. Live!
