Skip to main content

The glass jar- creating memories.

“I am going to keep it as a memory.” It struck my heart. We’d just finished decorating glass jars with serviettes using the decoupage technique, and as we were waiting for the glue-varnish to dry we talked about what we would do with our creations. One said she was going to put chocolate in it, another said she might give it to her daughter; it was a light and happy conversation. And then one said quietly that she would keep the decorated jar as a memory.

Her comment moved me and remained with me. I realised that to her this evening meant more than I’d realised. It was good to be reminded of the importance of what might seem insignificant. And it moved me that through a simple evening we could create a moment that was worth remembering.

And that’s what part of life is about. It’s about creating memories; good memories that are worth being reminded of. And sometimes it’s not bad to hold on to objects that are “worthless” in the eyes of those around us, when they hold value to us because of the memory they represent.

Life is full of different kinds of memories, and sometimes the bad memories outnumber the good. It’s always good to remember good experiences. And to that girl her decorated glass jar represented something good that she wanted to remember and be reminded of.

Popular posts from this blog

Packing...again.

I just folded the last load of laundry and I’m almost packed. Off to the airport at 5am tomorrow morning, heading off to Amsterdam. I’m excited, a bit nervous, and wondering what it’ll be like. It’s been a good week at home with lots of quality time with family, especially the little nieces and nephew. I’m glad I’ll see them in April again. Well, not much to write and packing to be done and a bit of sleep would probably be a good idea too. Next time I write it’ll be from Amsterdam....
Read more

Single-tasking September: The art of single-tasking.

To change habits and ways of life, the motivation for change has to be strong, and the benefits outweigh the effort it takes to make the change.  For so long it’s seemed like the ability to multitask has been regarded as a great skill, but is it really a good thing? Recovering from burn-out, one of the effects I noticed was that it was harder to concentrate, and especially tricky trying to focus on many things at once. I’d try to multitask, only to realise that all tasks suffered from lack of capacity to complete any one of them. The challenge is that the habit of always doing many things at once goes deep, and when I tried to focus on just one thing, I found that it was actually really difficult.  As I did a little google search on the matter, I found it seems like multitasking isn’t as healthy as once thought, and that it doesn’t help productivity. Some even referred to it as “switch tasking”, in the sense that the brain isn’t doing many things at once, but shifting rapidly...
Read more

Walking through December: overcoming the challenge of language.

I just got done leading a Bible study in Spanish without a translation back-up, and it went really well. I am amazed at what we are actually able to do when we have no other option. It wasn’t a flawless flow of communication (that would have been a miracle), but together we figured out what I wanted to say. And I think it was good. I was blessed and they seemed blessed as well. The girls just left and I am sat here in my living room with the candles lit. It’s windy and rainy outside, and I am smiling. Happy. Not because I overcame the language challenge, but happy because of yet another beautiful time of bringing more of Jesus to the girls in our Bible study. I am thankful for the privilege of knowing them and standing with them in their journeys of knowing Jesus. And thankful that even when language is shaky, love is stronger and is communicated beyond mere words.
Read more