Forgotten Joys Renewed

Do you remember riding your bicycle without a helmet?

Do you remember standing up in the back floorboard of your parent's car?

Do you remember riding with the windows down on the car and sticking your head or hands out the window?

Do you remember sleeping with your windows open?

Do you remember visiting your grandparents as a small child?

Do you remember going to Vacation Bible School as a small child and the joy it brought you?

Do you remember shelling peas till your fingers turned purple?

Do you remember shucking corn till your hands were so tired you couldn't grip?

Do you remember feeling the cool dirt as you walked barefooted down trails or played outside?

Do you remember dancing in the rain and making mud pies?

I remember my mom cleaning the 12 by 60 trailer we live in for about 10 years. When the weather was cool, she'd raise the windows, turn on her favorite Christian record that included "The Doxology" and some other songs. She'd have on a duster and this brown thing on her head. The house smelled of cleaning fluids and sounded of Christian anthems. That is a warm fuzzy for me.

I remember the four of us, my mom, dad, sister and myself, sitting around the kitchen table playing a game called Paddle Ball, and laughing so hard I had tears rolling down my face.

Oh, and I remember during the summer, my parents would invite some of their friends to our house for cake and coffee after evening worship. Lori, my sister and I, could sit and listen to my dad tell his stories that had our guests gasping for air, and even though we had heard them so many times we could recite them in our sleep, we too were laughing heartily.

I get so busy and so stressed with work and life that sometimes I miss those little joys. This is my last week off work, and I was reminded today of the joys of my childhood through the eyes of my children. I am so thankful for this time. Thank you Lord Jesus for precious memories.