Sometimes She Looks Back…
I think sometimes, she too, can sense that this life has a way of moving fast, as I see her pausing sometimes to look back…
If I’m honest, at times, I pause to remember and look back too…
Pausing to remember is a beautiful gift.
Remembering builds strength.
It grounds us and reminds us what we’re standing on.
When the psalmist couldn’t sleep because of his grief and worry, he reflected on God’s faithfulness in the past—both to him and the people of God. Specifically, he remembered the exodus, when God saved His people from Egypt through the crossing of the Red Sea. Remembering God’s faithfulness to His people in the past puts what we face today in perspective.
When we remember together in worship, it unites us with one another and with the generations of God’s people who have gone before us, and it reminds us of how God intervened in their midst. God leads us through the sea and through the mighty waters (v. 19). All of our sorrow needs a touch from God, not just some of us.
~As For Me for Teen Girls, Life Through the Lens of the Psalms, Camp, A.
In Psalm 77:11-12, Asaph (one of David’s chief musicians), writes: But then I recall all you have done, O Lord; I remember your deeds of long ago. They are constantly in my thoughts. I cannot stop thinking about your mighty works.
Remembering can carry us through anything.
Remembering can fill and overflow a cup so quickly with gratitude and love.
When it comes to my girls remembering their home, family and lives, I want them to feel wrapped up in one big hug when they do-literally and figuratively.
As each of my girls graduates 8th grade, they have gotten (and will get) a blanket with nearly all of the shirts, uniforms, an favorites from this part of their life before stepping into high school. Oh the memories!!!!!
Seeing these photos out the other day on my daughter’s bed prompted me to write about remembering…
When it comes to my girls remembering their home, family and lives, I want them to see love was pouring into them from all around and within-literally and figuratively.
As each of the girls have grown up, I’ve printed thousands of old school, print and pick up in an hour kind of pictures they can hold in their hands and remember in case there’s that rainy, drizzly night with nothing else to do and they get out that old box of photos.
Boxes of photos, y’all….
This is one of the boxes I found from 2018… Made me smile....
When it comes to my girls remembering their home, family and lives, I hope they read the words of affirmations and Truth poured over them their entire lives by family, friends, and those have have loved them along the way-literally and figuratively.
It’s kind of cool that my girls have kept the cards and kind notes over the years since they’ve been small. I’m not sure when they may pull some of those notes out or not, but if and when they do, there’s encouragement, love and Truth waiting for their eyes to see. There are hundreds of cards and letters they’ve kept and I’m so grateful for every person that took time to write to them.
I’ve kept a notebook for each girl with favorites scriptures, quotes, meaning of their names, and memories as they were younger, too, as another reference to bring them back to who they are and whose they are when they’re navigating the harder days of life. AND, each of our girls will get a signed copy of “Oh, the Places You’ll Go” with all, or nearly every teacher they’ve had since pre-school. Maybe they look at it once, or twice, or more, but when they do, I pray it brings peace, warmth, a smile and some laughter.
As a teacher several years ago, parents asked me to write messages for their children, and I thought it was so special. So, I purchased these books while the girls were still in pre-k and the pages from front to back have been filled with so much love.
Pages and pages filled for each of the girls makes my heart fill with gratitude and I pray my girls’ hearts fill with gratitude with every word they read, too.
What an answered prayer for the number of Brothers and Sisters in Christ teaching our girls in public school throughout the years…
Our lives are far from perfect, and sometimes they have a mom who can can simply be a hot mess express up in here at times, and in the midst of it all, as they pause to remember, I hope they remember how seen, heard, welcomed, invited, and LOVED they have always been.
I hope they don’t get stuck with anything in the past, but every once in a while when they pause to remember, I hope they feel it was Him from the beginning who has had each of one of them all along.