Well, we've made it to Port Angeles, WA and visiting Olympic National Park. Next stop will be Concrete & Cascade Ntl. Pk then on to Montana. I'll be sharing another west coast vacation post on Thursday, meanwhile, please welcome Theresa Lynn Hall back to our blog with something she treasures!
I never thought much of time when I was younger. Twenty
years away seemed like an abstract amount of time. I was living minute to
minute. It felt like I had all the time in the world before twenty years would
come to pass. Looking back, I’m grateful for my ignorance. If I had only known
how quickly it would go by I would been sad.
My oldest son is now twenty-one and is a police
officer. My youngest graduates next year and is planning a future in the
military. My babies. My little boys. Had I known then what I know now I would
have fretted over every single day that passed, knowing it was going to fly by
and one day be only a memory. I guess it's a good thing our kids keep us so
busy. We don't think about them growing up and moving on. Time has become
precious to me now and I think I grow more sentimental the older I get. Not
just about time or memories, but also about things.
I know all moms are sentimental about things their kids
give them. I have a cedar chest full of school papers, pictures, baby clothes
and who knows what else from the years when my boys were growing up. Each and
every memento means the world to me, but there’s one special gift that my kids
gave me when they were young that touched my heart—an engraved locket with the
single word “MOM” on the front of it. They begged my mother to find this for
them so they could give it to me. I’m not sure where they had seen it or how
they knew exactly what they wanted, but my mother searched high and low for
this particular locket until she finally found it. What an awesome grandma!
Ironically, I hardly ever wear it because I’m so afraid of losing it!
It means the world to me and I treasure it more than any other necklace I own.
Now that my boys are grown, I look at the little things
like a locket, an “I love you, Mom” note in big chunky handwriting, a picture
they drew me, and I wonder where the time went. How did they grow up so fast?
How did twenty years pass in a blink? I just don’t know. Now that they’re
grown, and taking on jobs of brave men in a dangerous world, I pray for their
safety and God’s protection over them. They will probably never know how much I
will always treasure the little “Mom” locket they gave me so many years ago, or
know how much I love them until they have children of their own.
God says that we are chosen by Him, his special
treasure. I don’t see myself as a treasure. How could God treasure a
sinner like myself? Still, He does. And I am so blessed to know He sees past
all of my sins and has chosen me as His treasure.
Deuteronomy 7:6 For you are
a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all
the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured
possession.
What a wonderful gift, Theresa and definitely something to treasure! Thanks for sharing with us.
Theresa is an award-winning author of Christian Fiction. A native Texan, she loves to write suspenseful stories that happen in small Texas towns with old fashioned Southern values. She’s an elementary teacher and mom to two boys—the oldest being in law enforcement, which comes in handy when she’s researching.
When she’s not teaching kids or writing, she loves to cook, read a good suspense, and binge-watch episodes of Dateline. Someday she plans to seek help for her chocolate addiction, but she’s just not ready yet. She loves to hear from readers and can be found at www.theresalynnhall.com
Find and follow her on Facebook, Twitter (@theresalynnhall) and Pinterest!
When she’s not teaching kids or writing, she loves to cook, read a good suspense, and binge-watch episodes of Dateline. Someday she plans to seek help for her chocolate addiction, but she’s just not ready yet. She loves to hear from readers and can be found at www.theresalynnhall.com
Find and follow her on Facebook, Twitter (@theresalynnhall) and Pinterest!
Her new book, Ransom in Rio can be found at Pelican Book Group and at Amazon!
Thanks again Theresa! Good luck and God's blessings with your new release!
Hope you enjoyed today's post friends and that you'll join me weekly for Tuesday Treasures, Thursday Thoughts and Saturday Spotlight.
Until next time, take care and God Bless.
PamT
Thank you for having me here today, Pam!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely post, Theresa! I agree, time goes by way too fast. My only child, a son, is now 28 and lives 2000 miles from our home in Tennessee. I can't believe how quickly his moment by moment , daily life with us under our roof is now but a host of wonderful memories. We frequently text and talk on the phone, but it's not the same. Best to you on your book release.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Darcy! No, it's not the same when they move out. Don't you wish you could just kiss those little cheeks and hear him giggle again? I'm an elementary school teacher and I tell parents to cherish the time. It will be gone in a blink. Thanks for posting, Darcy!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your post and yes, so sad how quickly time passes
ReplyDeleteI appreciated this post. I feel much the same. I was cleaning the other day and ran across a lighthouse picture that my oldest granddaughter did based on one of my paintings. She signed it as I did mine. She was six at the time and it is one of my treasures.
ReplyDeleteHi Maureen! Thank you for reading and commenting. :)
ReplyDeleteJacqueline, that is so sweet! I wish I had kept more of my kids' drawings and pictures to make a scrapbook with. Thank you for stopping by to comment!
And now time is ticking on grandchildren and friends and...me. Got to start paying attention. Thanks for the reminder.
ReplyDeleteI'm waiting for my kids to have children so I can pass on the items from their childhood that I've saved. It's hard to part with those things but someday we'll have to downsize and tough decisions will have to be made.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful post, Theresa, and a lovely locket. Thinking back, there were times I wish I'd been a better parent, but most memories are valuable treasures. My girls are now in their forties but every Christmas I put a few of their drawings under our Christmas tree. I still have baby clothes I knitted but, sadly, no grandbabies. I can't bare to part with them.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely story, Theresa! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteVery touching! Our boys have serving in common. My two sons just commissioned as second lieutenants in the US Army. Time marches on indeed!
ReplyDelete