Remember

 I have gone through good stretches and bad stretches of journaling over the years.  But I am convinced there is a reason we are told to remember so many times in the scriptures.  

Why? Because we aren't that great at remembering! Here is an entry from many years ago that I wrote about our swingset right before we moved:

"This beauty of a swing set has seen a lot in our seven years here.  I know it was probably 15 years old when we moved in.  

Sadly, the day has come that our little ones just aren't so little anymore.  With Ella now an expert on her 2-wheeler, this swing set is sadly neglected.  

We did dump the last few bags of play sand we found in the garage into the sandbox but Ella said she can't even fit under there anymore.  We thought about painting it and replacing the cover and then I decided it was a great time to bless another family.  

So I posted it online as free for whoever could haul it.  I got a reply in less than 30 seconds and they came and picked it up tonight.  

Colton and our neighbor Zack (as well as another boy) helped load it and it was fun to listen to them talk about which layers of paint they had added over the years, the adventures that were had in the "clubhouse", and the amazing catches they used to make reaching up over the bars when playing baseball.  Somehow I could see those same little boys, not yet grown into their adult feet and teeth, running across the lawn and playing thousands and thousands of hours of sports in our backyard.  

We laughed about the time Colton through a bat through the sunroom window.  And Zack slammed a basketball through the garage window.  Or my dad tried to climb the ladder and it broke, so he fixed it.  

Which reminded me of the time Alex and Xavier played Tarzan on the ceiling fan in our bedroom.  And Shad and Ella flushed the entire contents of a trash can.  Or tried to.   

But I digress.  Back to the swingset.  How many picnic lunches were eaten on the clubhouse?  

And how many little set of feet slid down the slide year round; with hoses in the summer, into the occasional snow drift in the winter.  

I love the names of the neighborhood kids painted onto the wood.  It's tangible evidence that there is room for kids in our hearts. 

As we helped load it up for them onto their trailer he said he would be powerwashing it since that is his side business. Which allowed for us to arrange for him to come back and do some work for us at a negotiated rate.  

Sharing always pays off doesn't it?  

I knew it would be hard as we have started to say goodbye to friends.  I didn't think saying goodbye to things would bother me as much.  And I guess it doesn't.  Its the memories attached to them.  And by writing them down, I don't have to say goodbye."

It's the same with spiritual memories.  We won't always have the tangible reminders.  Feelings fade.  And we can start to doubt.  

Sister Virginia H Pearce urged, "Remember, remember, remember how God has worked in these lives. Remember how he has worked in your life. Write in your journal about the times when you have felt his love for you. Write about the times when he has intervened in subtle or obvious ways, to make everything work out okay for you. And when you feel abandoned and desperate, those memories will renew your faith and keep you trusting until you understand better."

When we write them down, we testify of God's goodness and we help solidify our own firm foundation.