It's Just a Thought

Praise God For Memories

         I praise the Lord for giving all of us the ability to hold onto memories. Ever since the California wildfires began, I've thought about how devastating the effect of those fires had on the lives of the people that were directly affected by them. How they lost so many precious things. Family photos, especially those that chronicled the growth of their children through the years, and so many other precious things that can never be replaced. Thankfully, they all have their memories of those times, raising those kids, and what those pictures looked like. Tonight, I was reminded of another reason we should all be thankful that we have the ability to keep those memories of wonderful, special moments that occurred in our lives.
         Tonight, there was a moment when I was trying to decide what I wanted to do first, here in my port tonight. And that moment, when I was trying to make that decision, left my mind open to other thoughts, and I suddenly realized, once again, how lonely one part of my life feels now. While I don't know when, or if Linda's older sister, Suzie, passed away, it almost makes sense that she would have by now, as she was the oldest of the Harts' three daughters. And, as of Thanksgiving day, 2014, all the others in their immediate family have joined Linda around the Lord's Throne. Her younger sister, Marcia, aka "Cork", was the last member of their immediate family, and she joined the rest of them in Heaven on that day. Whenever that thought that all of them are gone comes to mind, I feel both a happiness that they are all together for the first time in a very long time, and yet a silence and emptiness inside, because I can no longer talk to any of them and share memories of the years we had together. But, thanks to the Lord, at least I have those memories, as each and every one of us does, from all those wonderful times in our life. I don't even want to think about how intense that silence, and that emptiness, would feel if I didn't have those memories.
         We should all thank God for giving each and every one of us the ability to retain all those wonderful, heartwarming memories that let us relive all those special moments in our lives. As for me, I thank You, Father, right now, for giving me the ability to look back on all the wonderful memories from all the special times in my life, up to the current moment, including the special, current relationships in my life, and I ask that You enable me to retain all those special memories throughout the rest of my time here on earth. In Jesus' name, Amen.