Twenty years ago today. It was a Thursday. I went to work as usual.  My co-worker and friend, Sally, and I were leaving for the day, discussing our strategies for next steps as we were literally taking our next steps on the ice-covered sidewalk.  Unbeknownst to us, our superintendent was walking directly behind us. This could have been a good thing because he could have overheard our amazing plans. However, I doubt he heard any part of our dialogue as he was running all over, on and off the sidewalk, trying to catch papers flying from Sally’s pull-crate.  We were so engrossed in our chatter that we were oblivious to the fact that the carefully placed loose documents containing countless hours of work were creating quite the tornadic scene behind us.

Why do I remember this?  Well, you see, I was also nine months pregnant at the time.  After that initial embarrassment and uncontrollable laughter with the encounter with our boss, I went to my OB check-up to find out that my doctor was getting just as restless with that ball of life in my belly as I was. (I was at that “advanced maternal age” and had become a regular visitor at the sonogram machine.)  So, when he asked if I’d like to have the baby the next morning or wait till after the weekend, my first thought was, “Does anybody ever say to wait?”  Absolutely the next day!

So, the next morning on February 7, 2003, our beautiful Hadley Allana was born.

That day in itself is full of wonderful memories. I smile every time I relive and talk about each part of that special day. 

I’m sure many of you have wonderful stories to tell and make you smile as well.  That’s how memories work.  Some are attached to beauty and wonder, some carry heaviness and hurt, and some make you laugh so hard you pee your pants. 

Our memories are prompted in different ways. It might be a date or an event or a person; it might be a word, a phrase, a picture, or a song.  Or, maybe the memory needs no trigger. It just randomly pops into our thoughts.

While remembering a loved one recently, I was reminded of how our memories are gifts from God. He graciously blesses us as He allows us to keep those moments and special loved ones close to our hearts.  

We get to experience His goodness over and over again when we have the opportunity to not only recreate the special days or events, but to revive those feelings of joy, of excitement, of laughter, of love.  And, we get to experience His faithfulness when not so pleasant memories of hurt or pain surface.  We are able to see how His healing, His mercy, His forgiveness work in our lives for our good.  Through it all, the good, the bad, the happy, the sad, God’s love is present in the moment and in the memory.  And, I’m so grateful.

So, tomorrow Hadley will be making her birthday memories at Purdue while I will be thinking about all the fun we’ve had celebrating her as she was growing up.  So many memories I hold so lovingly near my heart. And, in the coming days other memories will undoubtedly make me smile, laugh, and want to share. I will continue to tell stories and relive the special moments. And, I’ll be thanking God for it all!

What memories are you thanking God for today?

^“Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” Psalm 106:1 (NIV)