Precious Memories Psalm
Is Precious Memories just the name of an old hymn used at funerals?
Are there precious memories surrounding other events in our lives
Or people in our circle of family and friends?
Are precious memories valuable to create and then remember?
Precious memories are the substance of what we have left.
They are the ingredients scrapbooks are made of mingled with photos.
They are what makes holidays and vacations special and worth repeating.
Hallmark built their business on the precious memories of society.
While precious memories are carried from birthday to birthday,
Anniversary to anniversary, holiday to holiday, and song to song,
Precious memories are especially valuable when you lose a precious person.
They help keep that person alive in your thoughts, writing, and speaking.
I have precious memories of 50 years of marriage to my sweet guy.
Memories of our courtship including falling in love with his bass voice.
Memories of early marriage and involvement with our faith in God,
And memories of becoming parents together.
There are precious memories of moving from home to home
And job to job as we took our family on the road creating memories along the way.
There are career memories, ministry memories, raising children memories,
And daughter’s getting married memories adding to our family.
Precious memories are heightened with the birth of grandchildren.
Each new life brought unique memories with that child.
Memories we created to cherish throughout their lives and ours.
Memories to carry us through our golden years.
Then the precious memories came to a difficult time of my sweet guy’s stroke.
Could this time give me memories I would want to keep or painful memories?
Would God’s word be true in walking beside me and carrying me through this time?
Yes, these would be memories but would they be precious memories?
And yet here I sit on the other side of caregiving for 22 months during the stroke,
And the precious memories flood my soul as the old hymn says,
Memories of holding hands to help Jerry walk to the car to go to the coffee shop.
Memories of laying in bed beside Jerry just loving him and him loving me back.
There are precious memories of recovery far beyond medical predictions.
Memories of my sweet guy amazing doctors, nurses, and therapists with progress.
Memories of hugs, kisses, and closeness beyond my dreams after a stroke.
Yes, precious memories of my caregiving days held up by God.
The most precious memory of all is the celebration of our 50th anniversary.
It was one year ago today as I write this on August 5 when we renewed our vows,
When my sweet guy sang Because to me as he had done 50 years previously,
And memories of once again vowing our love til death do us part.
When death did part us 5 months later, the precious memories were created
Even as we held hands that one last time this side of eternity,
Even as my sweet guy took his last breath and his first one in heaven,
Even as our time as husband and wife ended but the memories lived on.
Yes, precious memories stay with me today and will forever hold me up.
Memories of a life well lived together sharing, loving, giving, and being.
Memories of a marriage committed to God and each other,
Precious memories to carry me through my journey of grieving.
Praise God for precious memories of life and love, of joy and sorrow,
Of success and failure, of anger and reconciliation, of pain and healing.
Memories are what we have when events end, when holidays are over,
When vacations are finished, when friendships end, when life ends.
Precious memories--thank you God for each one!
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Thank you for sharing your thoughts. L. Cox