Making A Memory

Photo credit: Blue Lotus

My sister-in-law  Leslie and her husband  Tony came to visit us this weekend.

Over a yummy dinner of takout Chinese food, we started reminiscing about years gone by.

I mentioned that Doug and I knew who really loved us by who came to visit us when we lived in a small two-bedroom apartment in the town of New Canaan, CT after we were married. They didn’t mind that the kitchen was the size of a closet or  that there was only one (hideously ugly yellow) bathroom, or that they would have to sleep on an air mattress on the floor; they just wanted to be with us. Tony and Leslie and their three kids visited us a lot.

One summer afternoon, we all decided to have a picnic at Waveny Park, a beautiful oasis in the middle of the town. The sun was shining and the air was warm; it was the perfect day. Our border collie Charlie joyfully chased our nephews and niece through the open fields. We played lots of ball games and ate  good food.

Nothing momentous happened. It was an ordinary day.

Yet, Tony said something at dinner on Saturday night that surprised me.

He said, “You know what? The only thing I really remember about that day is Susan saying, “We’re making a memory!”

I had no recollection of saying that at all…but I loved that that was the main thing he remembered.

It was true.

We have lots of photos from that picnic and each time I look at them, I can almost hear the laughter of a family celebrating being together on a Saturday afternoon.

Last October, I was able to see Beth Moore speak in Massachusetts. Her topic was “The Lost Art of Treasure.”

In Luke 2, Mary is found to be treasuring so many things in her heart. Beth shared that in the original language, the word for “treasure” means: “to hold or treasure up in one’s memory; to guard, keep, preserve, keep safe, keep close.”

Are you treasuring your days like that? Are you slowing down enough to take in the moment, to truly see the people who are on this journey through life with you?

Beth pointed out the sad truth that “we don’t have time to look for treasure because we live in a cycle of over-productivity and collapse. Treasuring takes time. We have to stop and treasure. We tend to live beyond our limits and we are exhausting ourselves…we need to slow down. You must make up your mind that you will cooperate with God to see the treasure. It doesn’t happen by accident.”

She reminded us that there are treasures everywhere and they are ours for the taking. All we need is eyes to see.

As you begin this day, determine to look for the treasures. They are there.

I’d love to hear about what you find.