We Will Never Forget

"Somewhere inside of me the jasmine continues to blossom undisturbed, just as profusely and delicately as it ever did, And it spreads its scent round the house where you dwell, oh God.... I bring You not only my tears and my forebodings on this stormy, gray, Sunday morning, I even bring you scented jasmine. And I shall bring you all the flowers I meet along my way, and truly there are many of those."

~~~~~~~~~

"God? How good You are, how kind and if one had to count the number of goodnesses and kindnesses You have done, one would never finish.



God? It is You who command. It is You who are justice, it is You who reward the good and punish the evil.



God? It is thanks to You that I had a beautiful life before, that I was spoiled, that I had lovely things that others do not have.



God? After that, I ask You one thing only: Make my parents come back, my poor parents protect them (even more than You protect me) so that I can see them again as soon as possible.

 Make them come back again.

Ah! I had such a good mother and such a good father! I have such faith in You and I thank You in advance."

~~~~~~~

These are such beautiful pieces...

they speak so honestly of the heart,

of sorrows and joy and of undying faith in the only One who

can save. They speak of Hope.

When first reading these pieces, one does not

see fully the desperate and painful circumstances behind them;

perhaps we too often forget the lives of others who have gone before,

and that there were those who have suffered so greatly...

far greater than we could ever dream.

It is easy to forget...

but I do not want to. I want so greatly to remember,

and while remembering, I want to gain insight into their lives.

To see that life is a blessing, in all of its joys and sorrows; to see that God allows things in our lives to strengthen us; and that through it all

He remains Faithful.

He is Lord,

He is Truth, Life, Hope

and Justice. He never fades away,

He knows,

He sees,

He hears,

and He...

remembers.

~~~~~

The first entry was written by

Etty Hillesum in a book full of her journal entries entitled: An Interrupted Life and Letters from Westerbork.

Etty was 27 years old when Amsterdam was invaded, and died shortly after this journal entry

at the age of 29. While on her way to Auschwitz, she threw a postcard out the window

and it was found by farmers who mailed it. On the postcard she had written,

"We left the camp singing."

The second entry: Eleven-year-old, Jewish orphan, Liliane Gerenstein was sent to her death a few days after she wrote this letter to God:

The letter was found in April 1944 in the abandoned children's home in Izieu.

As for man, his days are like

grass;

As a flower of the field,

so he flourishes.

Psalm 103:15

Our lives are beautiful...

filled with Joy...

blessings...

Love...

laughter...

Goodness...

friendships...

family...

sorrows...

pain...

heartache...

discipline...

healing...

Faithfulness...

Mercy...

Hope...

years...

months...

weeks...

days...

hours...

minutes...

seconds...

heartbeats...

For the wind passes over it,

and it is gone,

And its place remembers it

no more.

Psalm 103:16

... But life is so short...

compared to

eternity.

Teach us to number our days...

After writing about my memories of'

berry picking with my Mama~lou,

loads of other precious

memories came rolling in

as faithful as the waves

of the sea... memories...

like old friends...

faithful and true.

Always there, even when

we're not looking... yet that's

when they seem to appear...

whispering, 'don't forget...'

One memory that's not too far into

my past, is the time that my mom,

sister and I took a 'spur-of-the-moment'

road trip to Ludington, Michigan.

It was a quick decision, because of

my brother, who

incidentally had been trek-ing, cross-country

on his bicycle and had broken the rim of the wheel.

We brought him a replacement...

how kind... how thoughtful...

how exciting.

So, we loaded up our van, tent and all,

and headed out to a land where no man has ever

traveled... well, perhaps not that far west,

but farther than we'd ever been.

It was quite the girl time...

full of fun and laughter, and

endless Adventures in Odyssey.

We traveled through Canada for most of the trip,

and the sweet, southern boy, border official

who welcomed us back

into the states when we

finally reached

Michigan,

was such a sight for sore eyes...

believe me.

We camped right next to a graveyard...

I loved it.

We swam in the Lake...

I loved it.

We walked 5 miles round trip to a lighthouse...

yes, I even loved that.

We ate scrumptious ice-cream...

I loved it!

We walked around the quaint village and visited the area shops...

and ate at a sweet little Italian pizza restaurant, which

needless to say had delicious pizza and authentic accents...

I LOVED IT!!!

We traveled back home a slightly different route

so that my brother could follow us and

camp with us along the way for a couple of days.

Two nights, one at a

hotel... with quite the rodeo show,

and one night at a campground...

that looked more like a trailer park, and we were

camping in their village green.

Picture all of the the residents...

sitting on their front porches..

just staring at the 'newcomers', wondering (rightly so)

why in the world we were there.

I wondered too.

I have to say though, that I loved it...

the spectacular view of trailer homes...

the bathroom right across the way...

the little swamp right next to our tent...

In the morning we set off,

parting ways with our brother and son...

sure we would see him again in a few weeks...

unless that blessed tire gave out again...

then it would be sooner.

This is such a wonderful memory that I carry...

one that I will never forget.

Proving that perfect surroundings

and planned events aren't always

the best.

Sometimes it's the simple and

heartfelt ventures that matter most.

As far as the east is from the

west,

So far has He removed

our transgressions from

us.

Psalm 103:12

For as long as I can remember, or at least

since I could start reading 'Westerns',

I have wanted to go 'West'.

Being almost as far East as one

can go, though, thank heavens not

that far... I've thought of going

'out there' often.

This picture is of our vacation to

Lake Michigan. It is as far

west as I've been.

But I loved

every moment of it.

I could look and look at the

water as it stretched westward

across to Wisconsin, but my

eyes could never take in all

of it.

I once had the thought that every where in the world,

there is always a west.

No matter where you may travel,

there is always somewhere farther west.

It just keeps on going...

that's how far...

How great

is His

love.

For as the heavens are high

above the earth,

So great is His mercy toward

those who fear Him;

Psalm 103:11

When I was a little girl,

I used to look up into the sky at night

and feel so small.

It seemed so very far away...

so high...

so distant...

I could never measure its height,

nor its depth.

It was immense,

and even at such a young age,

I knew this with

feeling.

So...

when I read this verse,

it is amazing to me.

So great is His

mercy...

Who satisfies your mouth

with good things,

So that your youth is

renewed like the eagle's.

Psalm 103:5

When I put this picture with this

verse, it reminded me of a

special memory...

Holley

asked us today what meaningful

memories we have in our life's

story. I immediately had

a few come to mind...

which one to choose...

they all have been meaningful

in some way. Lessons learned,

heart touched,

dreams made.

I remember...

the hot sun on my back,

the tingling of tanning shoulder and

nose skin,

the song of the whippoorwill in the

tall grasses,

the scratch, scratch, scratch of the bushes

on my legs,

the feel of the warm dirt between my toes,

the buzz of the bugs around my face,

Grandpa asking if I wanted a bucket around

my waist,

the smell and taste of sun-warmed,

tart berries,

the sting of a sweat-bee behind my legs,

the call of the cool, pool water just across

the way,

and my mama's face.

I remember her form...

bent over the bushes,

her fingers picking swiftly

and diligently,

the way her hair would gently wisp

across her forehead,

her scratched arms and berry, stained hands,

her baskets filling faster than mine,

her warm freckly smile,

her eyes that glinted with glee when we tried that first

berry each summer,

her patience with my help,

and the lessons

she shared...

lived.

"These very same berries that we pick

will be enjoyed far longer than just today,

or this summer", she would say...

"don't give up, you will be happy

you persevered

when the time comes."

And I always was.

This memory has grown and matured

over the years, but those first ones

are the very best!

Thank you Mama~Lou

Who redeems your life from

destruction,

Who crowns you with

lovingkindness and tender

mercies,

Psalm 103:4

He redeems our life from destruction... this is

a wonderful thing. If He had not chosen to

do this for us, we would

have no chance at all.

This is a gift for all.

But acceptance

and repentance,

on our part

is necessary.

What love

He has shown us!

O, the deep, deep Love...

He crowns us...

I have known this crowning,

though deserving, I am not.

It is such a precious gift to be crowned

with His lovingkindness

and tender mercies.

How precious!

His good gifts are

endless, and He pours them

out.

O, the deep, deep Love of Jesus...

May I thank Him always

and

remember.

Bless the Lord, O my soul,

and forget not all His benefits:

Psalm 103:2

The Lord's benefits are endless. If I could

remember every single one, I would not have

enough paper to write upon, or ink for pen.

I try to remember them all, and say that

I am, but really,

is that true?

God's word tells us to remember His

benefits.

Not just know about them, and

acknowledge that they exist,

but to really remember them.

This is a good exercise to partake in.

It shows us that He really is good,

that EVERYTHING that is good

in our lives is from Him.

Even if I am still waiting for

things, I am not

lacking in anything.

If I wasn't graced

with His benefits, then

I would surely

be in need.

Just being called His child,

is a benefit...

having His Word...

knowing His peace...

feeling His love...

receiving His grace...

waking in the morning to a new day...

being able to dance...

singing His praises...

holding a baby...

smelling a flower...

loving someone...

swimming in the ocean...

laughing with a friend...

picnics in a meadow...

watching a sunset...

calling Him Father...

knowing that He's making a place for me...

and learning from His gentle lessons.

These are just a few...

I will remember...

Happy Fourth of July!