People from the past

I'm not nostalic by nature.  I don't have a single high school year book left in my possession or any pictures from the prom or gradutation.  I don't regularly get hung up on the past.  I do, however, find myself thinking of people who were important to me throughout life -- like my grandpa or my favorite elementary school teacher.  Precious memories of people are tucked away in my heart.

This weekend I was blessed to see several people who significantly impacted my life when I was growing up.  They probably don't even know the extent to which I looked up to them.  My parents celebrated their 25th anniversary with friends from all seasons of their life and it was a joy to honor them among family and friends.

Four ladies in particular were in attendance.  They were the "moms" when I was a teenager.  They were everything from my Sunday School teachers to my friends' moms to the mother of the boy I once chased in youth group. 

My sister and I reminisced about our memories with those ladies and how they had touched our lives in one way or another, probably without knowing it.  And I'll admit, it was a little humbling to realize I am probably older now than they were during those times!  Yikes! 

Driving home I was a little quiet.  "What are you thinking about?" someone asked in the car. 

"I'm remembering all those people from years ago when I was a kid."  But inside my brain it was more than that.  I was thinking about my own children and their friends.  I was planning to be intentional about making an impact on their friends.  They probably won't remember what a fabulous snack maker  I was (and I am) or how you could often grow a garden from the dirt on my kitchen floor (this is true)!  But I hope someday when they are grown up, they remember they had a friend who's mother loved the things of God and her sons were different kids because of it.  Maybe, just maybe, it will make a difference to them 25 years later.

Ladies, you know who you are, thank you for the influence you had.