Legacy

It's finally turned winter in the city. I'm learning to appreciate the cold, as it makes me that much more grateful for things of warmth: a home, blankets, socks, a hot drink, friends to snuggle with. When I was little, my mom wanted so badly for me to be a "snuggler." She'd make me crawl up on her bed with her for nap-time so she could hug me or make me scratch her arms. I wanted to be an independent brat then so I rarely obliged her and when I did it was out of "have to" circumstances. "SNUGGLE OR YOU CAN'T GO PLAY!" ;) I've always had a great mom...but she certainly has gotten cooler over the years.

Do you ever smell something that brings back memories from years ago? Camp fires, musty books, cedar and pine trees...these remind me of my dad. Our family didn't have a lot of money when I was growing up so instead of flying, we road-tripped for most of our family vacations. We drove to Redlands, California to see my grandparents several times a year. I remember, the final part of the drive was climbing through a forest on one of the mountains. Pine cones would sometimes hit the top of the car and squires would dodge across the road. It always smelled of Christmas with the pine and cedar decorating the slopes. If it was near winter, there would be patches of snow on the tops of trees or in the rock crevices. My dad would get this smile across his face as he rolled down the windows and put his head into the wind. This was home for him.

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College students are an interesting bunch. Young adults all about to begin their "real lives," some single, some starting families. Each one returns to their past for a glance at what has gone before them. Their parents play such a vital role, be that bad or good. Sadly, a great majority look back at broken marriages and families...failed relationships and hurting family members. It's so easy to see the hurt and not beyond.

I have come to grips with the fact that there will be hurt and brokenness in my family's past that will just remain, like a picture framed in someone's house...it just hangs there as something you may see everyday that acts as a reminder for you. But as I look at it and wonder why it's still around, I've realized that healing doesn't come until we can look at those people and situations and see the redeemable elements of them. It's easy for me to pick out flaws in my family, but how little I have sat to think of the good they have taught me...the qualities they have passed on to me.

As we interact with people, I think it's important that we don't judge them for where or what family they've come from, but we should be encouraging them to seek the redeemable things from their past. What is the good of the past if we do not learn from it?

Every day enjoyment...

I love the city. There are times when it is difficult to remember that. It's easy to complain about the smell...sirens...people...crime...cold...business...etc. But I forget all too often its beauty:

The people,
Fall trees,
Church steeples,
Christmas lights,
Cathedral bells,
Crazy sights,
The cool breeze,
Tall buildings,
Snow flurries,
Starbucks,
Kind friends,
Thrift stores,
Rivers,
Parks,
Beaches,
Musicals and plays,
Bookstores galore,
Art galleries,
Ethnic foods,
and so much more.

I don't ever regret moving to the city for college. What a good choice that was. I admire those that plant roots in this constantly-growing and moving place. What a hard place to minister to people. There's a scary oppression that covers this city, but it does not quench God's work throughout. How precious are the prayers of His children to Him.