Messes and Marvelous Memories

     The silence is so deafening I can feel it. There is a void in life on the farm. Sure, I can still hear the birds singing, but that just accentuates the absence of other sounds. The sounds of children laughing, running, squealing and even arguing. The quiet reminded me of a grief we experienced. Anthony, our grandson, lived with us five years from 18 months to age 6. Then he was able to live with mommy, which was a good thing. But we grieved his absence, the quiet in our home and the change in the landscape of our living room which happens when a toddler is in the house.

       Their are other griefs from absences in our lives. Have you ever missed someone so much you felt a physical pain? I did when my first husband died. How do you go on? There may be messes but remember the marvelous memories. My current husband had a messy divorce but what was marvelous  was that he got his kids out of it. Also you are never alone no matter what grief or absence you walk through. Hebrews 13:5 says God promises to never leave you or forsake you.

     What makes this time now so silent is that my husband and I had 5 grandkids over Friday night, cousins age 7-12. They have hung together all their lives and are more like brothers and sisters. My husband said, that’s too many kids at once. I disagreed. I strive to make a difference in their lives and impact them and I love when that happens. The life they lived here in a short 24 hr period is not gone, it’s transplanted into the hearts and memories of us and the kids.

     We rode our bikes around the block. Hey, it’s harder than it sounds because we live in the country and the block is 4 miles. Cranium was played with hilarious acting out. Boys were against girls in hide and seek, this was a challenge because of many barns. The barn cat had kittens. They were 2 weeks old and precious. The kids named them and longed to take them home. Evening was an endeavor; pajamas, teeth brushing, movies and lights out. I even enjoyed their messes for it’s a sign of a life well lived.

     Seeing the kids play floods me with memories of my sisters and visits to our Tennessee cousins. My most favorite part of childhood. There were animals on the farm, picking cotton, hiking in the woods, watching out for ticks, and my Aunt’s famous biscuits. Maybe that’s why I work hard for my grandkids so they will have special memories of life on the farm with loved ones.

     My friend said those kids will always remember these times. I pray they do and the impact of those memories will be cherished. They may not remember the messes, but the marvelous memories will be indelibly etched in their mind, body and spirit as it is in mine.

                                          Love, Debbie