Yesterday morning I woke up thinking about my grandparents.
Grandaddy was a farmer and Grandma a teacher. They lived a simple life far away from big cities or congested traffic. Gravel roads, open fields, and grazing cattle was the environment where they built their home.
Maybe it is spring time bringing back the memories, but I found myself standing in the garden with them. Grandaddy had just tilled the dark soil. In his khaki work shirt and pants, he was bent over on one knee slowing placing seeds in the fresh soil. Grandma, who never wore pants or shorts in her life, was in a sundress. She was slowly dragging the garden hose over to water the newly planted tomatoes.
I could feel the sunshine on my head, hear the moaning of a distant tractor, feel the grains of wood on the handle of the hoe I was using to dig a new line for the next row of seeds.
I can’t explain why memories like that sometimes come back to me so vividly. But when they do, I try to stop and take them in.
My grandparents have been gone for some years now. Moments like these bring them briefly back to me, and I am thankful for the promises of scripture that someday I will see them again. These memories also help me root myself in where I have come from.
I don’t know about you, but at school this time of year, the pace is difficult and the list of to-do’s seems never ending. So, it is nice to be visited by memories of sweeter times.
I thought about writing a list of ways to maintain your sanity during this time of the year, but decided instead to share this memory and make a suggestion:
If you find yourself so distracted by life you can hardly take a breath, take a moment to search your memory for one of those places that reminds you that in the big scheme of things, it is in simplicity and faith where we often find our greatest fulfillment.
Questions:
What are some special memories you hold onto that remind you of life’s simple pleasures? Take just a moment today to allow yourself time to enjoy. Or better yet, plan time with a friends or loved ones to make new memories. And, of course, don’t forget the promised hope of summer break!
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