The box

I decided to keep all teeth that fall out of my children's mouth in a little spot in my jewelry box... for now, anyway. I went to place a third tooth in the tiny silk bag at the bottom under a pile of stuff. I had forgotten what all I had stashed in there over the years. As I stood glancing through all of these special milestones, stories and memories, I cried tears of sadness and tears of joy simultaneously. It's been years that I have truly pondered what was in this beautiful brown box.

I was remembering the day Gabe gave me this beautiful box. It was for my wedding day gift and the first thing my hand touched was the poem he wrote me when he proposed... the words, beautifully chosen, delicately written, and folded neatly. Remembering that night like it was just yesterday. Nothing at that moment mattered except preparing our lives with and for each other. And here we are today, walking out our lives as ONE, watching God unfold the rest of our story. Sweet tears of joy began to flow as

I unwrapped a manila envelope addressed to my Great Aunt Helen ( who my Mom was named after)and I noticed the lovely, precise handwriting-- I could spot my Mom's cursive anywhere. She was always known for her penmanship. I opened it to find her wedding invitation, the response card, and a small return envelope to her house. June 21, 1969 at 12:00. I pictured her young hands addressing all of the invitations and shared her joy of preparing for her love ( my Dad) as God would unfold their stories. Tears of sadness coupled with tears of joy for what she must have felt began to fall as

I opened a manila bulletin of their Marriage ceremony. I recalled the details of planning my wedding and loved looking at her decisions and arrangements she had to make for hers. She chose Psalm 91 for a solo. ( one of my favorite Psalms!) and three of the songs she picked for the prelude I did as well. What really blessed me was the translation of First Corinthians 13 in Phillip's Translation... In this life we have three great lasting qualities- faith, hope and love. But the greatest of them is love. Timing of reading this was encouraging since I have been pondering the qualities of love and living love lately..... Tears of sadness making little drops on my dresser as I thought, "I REALLY MISS HER!"

Could it really be that beneath this marriage bulletin was her funeral bulletin and her obituary? Her story: born in 1946 and Home to her Savior April 22, 1993. In between that beginning and end of her short life on this earth were years of fruitful living, years of harvest, tears of joy, tears of sadness, days of ease and days of suffering, days of serving, giving and never tiring of being selfless. Her story was one of love.. living it and giving it. Her story reminds me that each day is a gift and we never know when we will leave this place. Our days are numbered and my heart's desire is to live them in love for God's glory.

May that be my story.