I recently received a letter that took me back over the years. Memories I had long forgotten surged back into life while my mind took me to times enjoyed and treasured. Even at the time I knew that the moments were memories in the making. I do not think I knew just how special, but the hint of history being painted was there for the taking.
As I remember, I find myself looking at today just a little bit differently. Will today be a memory for the future? I doubt it, but could it be? Ah, there is a question with a completely open ending! Could I be, in the lives of those around me, as important as the letter I received signifies? Will I treasure the time I spend with people today as much as I treasured the people in my memory painting?
“A good life is a fruit-bearing tree; a violent life destroys souls.” (Proverbs 11.29)
Reading the papers, eight dead in Israel, another shooting in California with four co-workers dying in a hail of bullets, with a midnight stabbing on a London underground platform and you know there is life extinguishing all around us. We do not have to look far, but is the distance as close as our own hands? Do we realize that gossip is as sharp as any knife? Can we feel the pain that are look and words inflict when we are careless or angry? Do we know just how important each of us is to the people in our lives?
The past few days have been a time to reflect and remember with joy, happiness, and peace. I know that life today has too much pain and anguish. I am already looking forward to the day when we will walk together again, share a drink, and laugh at a stranger trying to pick her up. These are good memories, gifts of God and relationship.
Today, you and I have a chance to make a difference. Your gift and mine benefits others by God’s grace, and you will remember.
