The wind is playing in the trees…
I love to hear that sound.
The wind stirs, and the branches sway,
each instrument perched just so.
If all the world were a forest,
how peaceful it might be.
We enter a cathedral, and music
floods the room, flittering birds, and fluttering
leaves, filling every pew.
Still, there is plenty of room for you
and me, a door that stands wide open.
The wind stirs, and the branches sway,
and all we must do is listen.
Psalm 46:10: Be still and know that I am God.”
The Answers to our Questions
Our lives are a journey of so many questions. When we look back at our lives, the doors we opened and the doors we closed, there were always questions to be answered.
At some point as we grow older, we reflect on the choices we have made along the way. It creates a deep awareness of who we are, and why we do the things we do. (Why did we say “yes” to some things, and “no” to so many others?)
Before my mother passed, she always wanted me to look at her photo albums. There were many pictures she just had in boxes. She had a whole stack of pictures she was saving for me of important moments growing up. She said that she wanted to create a collage or scrapbook of them, but she never got around to it.
Recently, I have been working through these albums and boxes of photos to separate them for family members. I deeply appreciate that my mother wrote my name on the back of these particular photos and that it is in her own beautiful handwriting. The photos are not numbered, but they follow in an orderly fashion. The pictures begin of me as a toddler and then progress through young adulthood.
These photos create a visual ‘story’ of my life in photographs. Of course, many of the photos my mother selected were the ‘big moments’. I believe that she wanted to create this composite of pictures when I was leaving home for college. She had photos of my graduations, prom, confirmation, sweet sixteen party, etc.
Of course, some of the photos simply reflect ‘ordinary’ childhood moments. In one picture, I am a few years old, wearing a pair of red corduroy overalls. I am looking down the hill of our first house, immersed in a blue-sky day, on a grassy lawn. It is probably early spring.
I like to think of these candid photos as a canvas that portrays the ‘wonder of childhood’. These are often the moments that are not planned. These are the moments when we are simply enjoying the time at hand.
The photographs that pulled at my heartstrings the most were the pictures of ‘me’ just being a kid, playing on the beach, sorting shells, doing the things I most loved doing.
Childhood is not a purely frivolous time. In childhood, we begin answering the questions that will shape our lives. The ‘big’ moments count, as do all the moments in between. It is the beginning of what I believe to be, a Holy journey, as we make our progress with the help of God.
Each and every step matters. Imagine a beautiful book, with a beautiful cover, the pages graced by God’s love. For each of us, our life story is uniquely different, just as each of us is unique. God has blessed our books of life and we honor the wonder of all He has done. We ask the questions and He graciously helps us navigate the answers as best we can.
I think of this book as a love story. In the margins, in God’s beautiful handwriting, He slips us little notes of encouragement, just as we do with our own children. Only God is so much wiser, and His love is so much bigger. Our books contain so many love notes, that we are overcome by His mercy and His grand gestures in all the ‘ordinary’ moments of our lives.
No matter our age, there will always be questions. And so many questions do not have easy answers. It is good to know that God listens to each and every question, and we ponder the answers in our hearts, knowing that no matter what, His love overcomes everything. We don’t actually have to know all the answers. We just have to trust that God is always there for us, writing in the margins, sending us daily love notes when we feel afraid or worried.
God keeps His promises. He surely wants us to appreciate all the big and little things in life. The more we focus on His handwriting on our daily pages, the clearer our days become. So whenever things look a little blurry, we need to refocus. It is then, and only then, that each new day is a crisp page, full of hope, full of wonder, full of new beginnings.
Just beautiful, Linda. Oh, those red corduroy overalls, sorting shells. . .
It has been a walk down ‘memory lane’! Lots of beautiful memories! God keeps opening new doors each and every day…no matter what our age!
Funny that you should write about photos in this post, Linda. This week, I’ve been thinking of them too, photos we actually have and photos in a dream. Photos bring back memories and tell us so much, don’t they? As tenderly as they capture past events, big and small, photos can also be notes to us for the future. If I open my old albums again, I wonder what the “notes” would say to me now. Probably that I should slow down and live right😁😁
I think you are right…we can learn a lot from our photos from previous times. And you are right about ‘slowing down’ to appreciate life. We take a lot of pictures over the holidays and when we are on vacation. When you think about it, each day is a day that will never come again…so, every day is picture-worthy!!!
So, so true!
I’m not usually a collector, but I just love photos and have a huge collection of them. They bring back so many special memories….. And yes, I love that God not only hears all our questions, but also answers them, if we’re just willing to listen. Thanks for this post!!!
I have put together quite a few scrapbooks with photos as well as photo albums. I like the scrapbooks because you can add in so many other things. It does take time, but they are fun to look through later. God does answer our questions, but we must be patient with the answers. 🙂
I hope that I can add a comment this way, Linda. When I see you post in the “Reader” I receive a message that “comments are closed”. Always enjoy your reflections. They give a wonderful lift to my day.
I am glad you were able to comment! 🙂 It is always good to hear from you. I wish you blessings in this autumnal season!
We’re going through old photos too; our older son is archiving some of them electronically so everyone will have access to the best pics (and sometimes only pics) of family members, dating back to the 1880s. Of course, we have NUMEROUS photos of our kids and grandkids! It’s been delightful to remember holidays, trips, accomplishments, and the ordinary days as well. I too can say: “God has blessed our books of life and we honor the wonder of all He has done.” AMEN!
It is incredible how the photos add up!!! I still have a great many more to go through. It is wonderful that your son is helping you in this regard. It is a challenge! I hope you are enjoying these last days in October…
Wonderful pics, Linda. My favorite season. Although in Texas everything is still so green. Photo albums are so precious. Simply a treasure, especially for those loved ones to come.
His Grip – Alan
We still have some greenery in Virginia also. It is rainy now and a lot of leaves are coming down. I do love the photo albums…they certainly tell a story!
Beautiful, Linda! How lovely you have those photos to go through.
Thank you! A trip down ‘memory lane’ can be a good thing! I still have a long way to go with the photos, but I am making progress! 🙂
You’re welcome! Good for you–it’s a big job!
Such a thoughtful reflection. I especially loved what you said about, “The more we focus on His handwriting on our daily pages, the clearer our days become. So whenever things look a little blurry, we need to refocus.” Sometimes we need to remind ourselves of this truth. Life’s worries can sometimes take our focus in other directions. Thank you for this encouragement.
It is a funny thing in life, but when you start to worry too much about any one thing, you seem to find more things to worry about! Worrying in itself does not do us much good. But, when we focus daily on God and His abundant mercies, our worries are more manageable. Knowing that He is right there with us, helping us write our life pages is such a comfort.