By Mona Shriver—

We took our two five year old granddaughter’s camping last weekend. It’s a lot of work but we wanted to make memories. We’d taken them last year and they’d had a blast. Who would have thought four year old girls would get the most fun out of a pail, shovel, and a small hill of dirt. They had spent two days on the little rise at the edge of our campsite. I’d never seen such filthy children. But it had been wonderful and we wanted to repeat it.

So once again, out I went to the dollar stores to find stuff they could entertain themselves with and of course making sure we still had the pails and shovels for their favorite activity. This year however, they hardly spent any time on the hill but found parachuting bunnies to be the highlight. Just about the time you think you’ve got them figured out…

But the goal had been to make memories. So who cared what activity supplied the memory? Then I put them to bed Friday night. As they were getting settled in their new Hello Kitty sleeping bags, Serenity looked at me and said “Grandma, can we have our flashlights?” I looked at her and said “Flashlights?” wondering what she was talking about. I hadn’t gotten them any flashlights this year. The she said, “Yeah, the flashlights we had last time. Mine was blue and Kaycee’s was red.” Then I remembered, I had gotten them flashlights last year but had forgotten all about them. I opened the cupboard where we kept the flashlights in the trailer, and sure enough buried under several others was one small blue and one small red flashlight. It had been over a year since they’d seen them. Yet they remembered. And I realized we had made a memory—it was firmly entrenched in their little minds. I grabbed the flashlights and handed each girl her own. Making memories.

We often think about this with our children or grandchildren. People we want to remember us. The one who loved me. The one who played with me. The one who told me about Jesus. It is a good thing.

In Paul’s instructions to Titus, he affirms that older women are to teach the younger women. Read Titus 2:3-5. We so often think about that in long term relationships and mentoring. But what about those with whom we don’t spend a lot of time?

When I think about my own memories from other women in the church it often has been a brief encounter. The elderly woman who’d recently had a stroke, sitting outside on the step at a retreat, doing her assignment of journaling. The most spiritually mature woman I’d ever met, admitting in a class that she struggled with giving financially. A woman who called me one day after Bible study, saying she’d noticed I’d been quiet, asking if anything was wrong. I’d been struggling that day but hadn’t said a word to anyone about my struggle. In a five minute phone call she wrapped me in Jesus’ arms. I, to this day, can’t remember who she was, but I remember how God used her in those five minutes.

So what about those others? The ones we briefly come into contact with. Do I make any effort to “make memories” with them? Do I purpose that they’ll have a positive memory of me—even if they might not remember my name?

Memories are not always made on the hill digging dirt. Sometimes they come in little red and blue flashlights.

 

 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Mona Shriver: Mona Shriver worked as a nurse until the Lord called her out of that profession and into ministry. She is a Precept trained Bible teacher, has been active in women’s ministries, and speaks at special events and retreats. She serves her local church body in central California. She is a writer and has been published in various magazines and ministry resources. Mona has been married to Gary since 1974 and they have 3 grown sons and 2 precious granddaughters. She and Gary co-founded Hope & Healing Ministries Inc. which provides support and resources for couples in adultery recovery. They co-authored the book: Unfaithful, Hope and Healing after Infidelity. Learn more at “http://www.hopeandhealing.us ”

5 Comments

  1. 4-13-2015

    Mona, I so enjoyed your story! Sweet memories you are making with your grandchildren. It motivates me to make sure I am doing the same with our 15.

    • 4-13-2015

      15? That’s a challenge, but worth it!

  2. 4-13-2015

    Thank you Mona…”moments matter”

  3. 4-13-2015

    Oh, my friend…you melted my heart with this post. I thank God for you.

  4. 4-13-2015

    Thanks for the comments girls. I think God is teaching me more through my granddaughters than I learned with my kids. Or maybe I’m just a bit more receptive. 🙂

Leave a Comment to Monique