Memories

I am feeling very sentimental today, my thoughts run deep.  Perhaps in the next day or two I will tell you why.

God has been impressing a message upon me the last few months and His message to me is getting stronger and stronger.  It started this past summer with a conversation with my Dad on our Trip Up North.  But as of late I hear the message in song, I hear it through words spoken by others, I hear it through words jumping off my Bible's pages, I hear it in situations that others are currently walking through.  It is all around me, I can't help but listen...

Let me start by saying... my Dad is a very special man.  I value our "talks" more than I think he knows.  He has so much wisdom that he lovingly bestows upon me (and I think my brothers and sister as well).  This wisdom was earned through difficult life experiences.  I don't believe my Dad would be as wise as he is without his active pursuit of God's best for him.  He has humbled himself and stayed on his knees searching for God's plan for him and for his family.  I don't think he even recognizes in himself, the gift he is to his children.  There are times I grab the phone to call Dad to ask his advice and then put it back down because I don't want to bother him.  I think all of us kids seek out Dad in our own ways.  Whether it's calling about spiritual issues, maintenance issues, or just life in general issues.  We all know that our Dad is someone who we can count on and gain wisdom from.  What a blessing it is to have a father like that.  As his children we have so much to learn from him.

Back to the conversation with my Dad.  It was about building memories with my kids.  Taking time to just be with them, go places with them, teach them, share experiences with them.  It's taking time away from the crazy schedule of life... slowing down and just enjoying being together.  It's not even quality of time... It's quantity too!  If we are so busy running the rat race of life, will our children feel loved and cherished? Or will they feel second best to activities and schedules and responsibilities?  And at the end of our lives as parents what will we have to show for it all?

I guess that is where my mind has been stayed... When my life is at it's end, what will be left?  Will my friends and family be sorting through a life of stuff?  Or will there be something more important that I have left behind?

Here are two things I hope to leave...

#1 and most important. Leaving my children a solid and beautiful spiritual legacy.  There in nothing greater than knowing all your children are walking with the Lord.  Even though mine are still young, my heart rejoices that today I know they have all three given their lives to Jesus.  But they will grow up... I know what Satan does to draw you away from your Heavenly Father.  I know how life can slowly pull you away from Jesus.  Each of my children will have their own spiritual journey but knowing that I will be united with them in Heaven would be the greatest gift any child could ever give to their parents.

#2 Memories.  Being purposeful in creating memories.  Building time with my children outside of a schedule.  Thankfully we have camping that we use as a memory building platform.  It has been such a blessing for our family.  We have built MANY memories this way.  And over the next few (many) posts I will be sharing our August 2013 Up North Adventure that had lots of memory building going on!
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We started off our vacation just our family.  We left on a Saturday afternoon and headed up to Aloha State Park.  Doesn't the name itself sound like a wonderful place?  Well it is.  It is our second time being there and we plan to go again.

On one of our exploration adventures while we spent two days at Aloha I snapped this picture.  At the time it just made me laugh, cuz I had never seen anything like it.  Even as a child when camping was done with a tent, our camping was much more... organized... than this.  But now I am proud of the family that decided to strap their pillows to the roof of their car as bug catchers and head out for an adventure.  Building memories doesn't need to look like my families memory building, it just needs to happen!

Our family loves Lighthouses.  We try and visit as many as we can each camping season and always try to locate new ones when we visit new places.  This lighthouse was different than all the others we had visited before.  It's a river range light.  It guides the boats safely through the river.

It is slowly being restored.  Here is a picture looking up the stairs that lead to the light.

Part of our adventure was going to the local Walmart to buy Micah some summer clothes.  When I told him to pack, I had said to make sure he packed warm clothes because the forecast was for cooler weather.  Well he packed ALL cold weather stuff.  So we had to quickly outfit him with some summer attire.  Then after the quick shopping trip it was off to the laundromat to wash them all.  Because of his "mistake", our day turned out to be amazing... because had we not ventured out to find a Walmart, we wouldn't have found the lighthouse nor would we have seen the awesome 'strap everything to the roof' camping car. Or had a great lunch at a local restaurant that the kids still talk about going back too!

This is how I spent my Sunday afternoon.  Relaxing and reading while watching Jilli play in the water.

Such an amazing afternoon!  I can't tell you how much I enjoyed this little piece of Heaven on earth!  While I was soaking up the rays, Kevin was taking a long deserved nap.  And the boys??  Who knows!

Then there was the sunset... Do you think God grabs a paintbrush and hand picks the colors and clouds every night?

It was a beautiful start to our August memory building vacation!  There is SO MUCH more to share!!