Priceless Memories

I just finished reading the most amazing book this year, called A Marriage Carol. If you want to know what it's about, click here. What I took away from this book was it dealt with a marriage more than just on the rocks, this house was losing its foundation and was ready to fall into the ocean. Not mine but the marriage that is discussed in the book.

The couple was spending their 20th Anniversary heading to their divorce lawyer's office to sign the paperwork to split their assets and divide the custody of their children. 20 years of marriage. Wow! I could say that I commend a couple for making it that long. We all know that our marriages will have their ups and downs, their seasons of drought and at times where one or both of those probably considers what it might be like if we hadn't married that person. Most of the times, they remain as internal dialogue, never surfacing and remaining just what they were thoughts.

Yet in this story is a promise of hope, the promise that if one of them is willing to fight for their marriage it just might be saved. See in the story, there isn't another man or woman contending for the affections of the spouse, its just that have grown apart. The husband is spending more time trying to make it up the rungs of the corporate ladder and the wife is spending her time working on raising a family and dealing with the kids. Now they barely have two words to say to one another, and find spending time doing what they love no longer involves the two of them.

What both of them need is a reminder. A reminder of where they met, what attracted them to one another, what made them fall in love and enter the commitment of marriage. They needed a trip to the past. Have you taken the time to venture into the past of your marriage. To spend time remembering what it was like the first time you laid eyes on your husband or wife. What it felt like the first time they told you that they loved you, your first date. All the "first" times. See none of that has changed with our spouses. Just more time has elapsed to create more memories, more firsts. Our first fight, our first child, our first grandchild even, our first graduations. You get the idea.

Which leads us to where we are today, in our Christmas present. Time has moved forward, and we have been married now for quite some time. Long after the proverbial honeymoon period has died, and experience at being married is now a time of being settled, comfortable even. Yet we need that magic back of what those "first times" were like. Perhaps it involves nothing more than spending an evening reminiscing of those first memories. That's what we did last night. We spent time sharing our favorite memories, our first kiss, our first real vacation, our first time as parents...well you get the idea. As we both shared some of our favorite memories, you can feel the embers in those fires inside both of us, begin to become fanned and the fire rekindled. We just have to remember not to let the fire die out. We have to find ways to fan the flame of love in our hearts. We have to be willing to fight for our love, for our marriage, for our family.

We entered this world with nothing and we will leave this world in the same manner. We can take nothing with us. Not our homes, our vacations, our children, our money or even our status. It's all on loan from God. ALL OF IT! Nothing belongs to us, so it often amazes me why we cling so tightly to those things that are on loan to us from God. Yes, it hurts to lose things especially children and our family. Yet we need a reminder to give God thanks every single day for those things that receive daily. Need the ultimate reminder?

I got this as a status on one of my Facebook friends, what if you woke up today and the only things you had were the things you thanked God for yesterday? How many of you would literally have nothing to show for that today? I know I would have nothing yesterday morning. So why wait? Why wait for something to happen? Why not start today and thank God for every little thing that you have in your life today. Not just today, but every day. I think the attitude is contagious. To have an attitude of gratitude, not just praying for wants and needs but for thanks as well.

The one thing we do leave this life with is our memories. We will remember our family and friends as we enter into Heaven. That is the only thing plus our salvation we take into Heaven. Looking back at my personal memories with my husband, I realize I have so many happy times that make me smile just to revisit those. It's time we spend our time creating more to savor and enjoy in the years to come. Those memories are priceless and one that no one can take from us, not even death. How will you chose to spend your time? Making priceless memories or filled with a life of regrets?

I hope like me, you'll spend it praying about things your thankful for and living a life of beautiful blessings and memories! I wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving. You are all a big huge blessing in my life. You're not just blogging buddies or Facebook friends, but real life connections that unite us all! Wishing you and yours a very Blessed Thanksgiving.