"Memories"

Everything happens and then it is gone,

Into our memories, remembered so long,

Until our memories, faded with age,

Cannot remember in life’s final stage.

When we were children, all that we knew,

Was what someone told us, their words were our clue,

To what we remember and what we forget,

What happens to us and what is not yet.

And if you’re raised cowboy, the memory will track,

To all of those old times when life was horseback,

And stories remembered ‘bout cattle and all,

When weather got testy and hope became small.

Add to those stories life’s ups and downs,

Wild buckin’ lessons and wrecks far from towns,

And mix in the laughter and those heartbreaks too,

The ones that deserted and those who came through.

Grandpa and grandma and uncles and aunts,

Cousins and kinfolks and whispers and rants,

And “I’ll tell you one thing,” and “By God, it’s true,”

And out flowed a memory that somebody knew.

I love a good story and remember the times,

When Dad read us poems, he loved those old lines,

So maybe that tells me why I must write,

To share an old memory and remember I might.

A chain’ wild cattle, the warmth of the fire,

Momma’s good cookie’, love’s first desire,

The frost on the pastures, the stew in the pot,

Fried chicken on Sunday, the blessings we got.

And don’t fail to mention the Lord up above,

Who guided our seasons and poured out His love,

From my early memories right down to today,

His presence with us and will be always.

Life daily happens and then it is gone,

Into our memories, remembered so long,

And then the last chapter, it come to each man,

By faith in Jesus on to heaven’s land.

“As the Scriptures say, ‘People are like grass; their beauty is like a flower in the field. The grass withers and the flower fades. But the word of the Lord remains forever…’” (1 Peter 1:24-25, NLT)

What will we most remember about this time in our lives? Maybe our grandchildren or great-grandchildren will want to know about the corona virus, and we can tell them what happened way back when. The ongoing story of our lives is not just what happens but what we do about it. We can’t control everything but we can control how we respond. Responding with faith and trust in the Lord makes life sweeter and better. Even when we are disappointed or crushed by grief, there is peace in relying on the grace of God. As life unfolds it is also important to recall God’s blessings. What can we celebrate, in spite of the challenges? Remembering to be thankful changes our perspective and helps us to overcome. Intentional living is all about making righteous choices and living on purpose. It’s about asking the Holy Spirit to lead and fill our lives. If heaven is God’s unrestricted full-blown presence and the Spirit gives us God’s presence in the here and now, then we can experience a lot of heaven on the way to heaven!

Lord, fill our days and memories with Your presence, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Tim Cox, timcox.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Tim, and God bless you.