Pictures as Memorial Stones

It was a simple task - delete pictures from my camera to free up space to record my student’s performing their French play.  But this simple task led me to a sacred moment.  As I scrolled through the pictures, I found myself smiling and tearing up at the same time. 

The pictures were from the last year or so.  Somehow I had already forgotten what a year it had been.  I was scrolling through pictures of nature and places that I hold dear and even better faces of people who are very close to my heart.  

We all know that a picture only captures a moment, it is one very small part of  a larger story.  As I scrolled through the pictures I realized I was remembering the stories around each picture. A picture is much like a symbol, it is not the reality but reminds us of that deeper reality.  

These glimpses into the past year left me feeling something far more than sentimentality.  It may sound strange but I started to feel like I was on holy ground.  Each picture was like a memorial stone, a testimony of God’s faithfulness: 

Here I am visiting the gravesite of my namesake and great-grandmother.  Jesus – how you have blessed me beyond what I deserve through my family.

And that was the picture of the spectacular sunset Jesus surprised us with on the last night at our house in Albany, NY.  Thank you Jesus for the gift of that house and for the gift of that sunset!

Here is the Inn that my Mom and I stopped at on our move from NY to KY.  This Inn holds some special memories for our family. Jesus, thank you for precious memories and for protecting us as we drove through snow and ice, with Mom recovering from surgery!

A beautiful full rainbow on a KY evening shortly after having moved there.  Jesus, what a reminder that you are always true to your promises!

Here I am on my birthday almost exactly a year ago.  I was able to meet my new niece and nephew for the first time!  Jesus, who could have imagined a better way to celebrate my birthday than meeting Liam and Samara.  And now a year later I get to share my birthday week with my newest niece!  You truly spoil me Jesus!

Here we are celebrating Samara’s 4^th birthday (our first with her) and rejoicing that on her special day we found out the adoption had been finalized!  What a privilege to be a part of her forever family!

And here I am sharing with a group of people about BFA.  Jesus, I was nervous that night and you helped! I also wondered if it was possible to return funded and you did it through the generosity of your people!  Thank you!

And here I am watching the sunrise over the Atlantic just a few days before moving back to Germany with some precious friends.  Jesus, what a reminder of your faithfulness and your mercies that are new every morning no matter where you go!

A hike to a beautiful frozen alpine lake with some of my colleagues on faculty retreat.  Jesus, I am in awe of your creation and in awe of the people that you have allowed me to serve with here at BFA!

 

And finally, watching my students perform a fun version of Little Red Riding Hood in French to a classroom full of parents and other students. How blessed I am to have the privilege of serving these students and their families.  They are each a blessing to me.

 

I got to the end of the pictures and realized that I had just experienced worship. These pictures were my memorial stones, allowing me to look back and remember the faithfulness of God through the last year. It left me with a sense of wonder and awe. And these are just a few events in the last year! What if I were to take the time to recollect what He has done throughout my lifetime, how he has provided and been faithful not just to me but to my parents, grand-parents, great-grandparents, etc.

I am grateful for these memorial stones.  As I celebrate another birthday and look toward the new year ahead I am thankful for this reminder that He walks with me through ALL of life.  Whatever may come this I know - He is good and I can rest secure in His hands.

I Chronicles 16:11-12: Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his presence continually! Remember the wondrous works that he has done.