Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen,
and named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the LORD has helped us.”
I Samuel 7:12
According to my kids, I’m a nut about recording memories. Other people think the scrapbooks documenting every aspect of their childhoods are cool, but sometimes they cringe when the camera appears.
I’m compulsive about recording family events because I know how quickly they can be lost. My father’s multiple sclerosis affected his memory with horrible results. His was gone before I was old enough to write down the family stories he told when I was a kid. By the time I was thirty, he couldn’t remember the family stories or his family. By the time I was forty, he was dead and the memories were irretrievable.
Last week, the doctor said my mom is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s. Her long term memory is fine, so she knows who I am, but she can’t remember recent happenings. The other night she asked how old my brother-in-law is. For years, I’ve relied upon her to remember for me; in the years to come I need to have her share her memories before they’re lost forever.
Since I turned fifty a few years ago, my memory failure rate is way up, too. It has something to do with the increasing number of memories to be stored inside the finite number of my remaining brain cells. When my grey matter gets crowded, it deletes stuff I’d like to keep. So I’ve grown increasingly thankful for every bit of family history I’ve nailed down by taking pictures, making scrapbooks and writing stories for my children.
When Grace Community Church was formed almost seven years ago, the corporate memories of God at work among us were fresh and easy to remember. But as Grace accumulates more history, early memories of God’s hand in our midst become dim. As people from the early years move away and new people join us, the likelihood increases of permanently losing the witness of God ‘s provision in our midst.
If you’ve been at Grace its beginning, now’s the time to share the stories of God at work in the early years. If you’ve joined Grace since then, now’s your chance to hear the stories and contribute your own. During the upcoming Small Church Big Event, we will be sharing and celebrating our memories. Like Samuel, we’ll raise our stones and stories of remembrance and say, “Thus far the LORD has helped us.”
My parents’ illnesses robbed me of precious family history. I refuse to let neglect and busyness rob me of my spiritual history, too. On November 2, I’ll be at the Livery at 3:00 with my camera, pencil and notebook and a whole bunch of memories to share. Will you be there with your memories, too?
