MEMORIES

On my trip back home from visiting my parents & brother, my mind was flooded with soo many Amazing MEMORIES.  I'm soo blessed to have family that loves me so much :)

 I saw the name of a highway and it reminded me just how many times that I'd taken trips on it with my parents, brother, & my own family - too many to even count.

 I passed the road that my Mama & Papa use to live on the way home. The childhood MEMORIES of climbing huge pine trees & playing outside with cousins, eating my Mama's fried chicken & mashed potatoes, & even having to use that Outhouse put the biggest SMILE on my face as I drove past the road where we use to turn in to see them.

We are so very blessed to have such Amazing Memories. 

This past year has been a very difficult one for our family.  I can't imagine how we could make any Memories in this time of our lives.

Then I remembered back to a similar time in my life when my parents were both going to Bible College & my brother & I to Christian School.  I remember my Dad getting layed off from his night shift job, Mom cleaning houses, me taking care of the house, shopping, cooking, & my brother.  I remember cleaning the church, doing lawn jobs, & anything we could to make extra money.  I remember the day we received food assistance and thinking we were rich because of all the food we were able to get at the grocery store that day.  I remember getting money in the mail that was the exact amount to cover a bill.  I even remember people leaving bags of groceries on our front porch.

I know now that God let us go through these difficult situations so that we would grow closer to  him & so that those very hard days would also be some of the best Memories of our lives.

So here I am again - in the same situation with my husband of 25 years and two boys.  I am being reminded once again that the same Amazing God who took care of us back then is taking care of us today :)

Some verses that have really helped me to get through this time in life are:

Matthew 6:26 - Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

Matthew 6:34 - Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Philippians 4:13 - I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.I encourage you to start journaling some of your Memories :) - Because Memories Last 4-EvEr!

In Christ - Stacey