I believe God is in charge of putting every family together. That’s just the natural outcome of believing he’s also in charge of creating every life. He has a specific plan for who should live with whom, and sometimes he has to go to great lengths to gather specific family members together.
In our case, he set up a sibling group of two girls followed by one boy. Mary, Tom, and I knew that no matter what happened, our folks would always love us. Being confident of this was a blessing we only fully appreciated when we became parents ourselves.
As happens to most families, we each went off to college and then into marriages, and our together-times as siblings became characterized by the crowds of children that followed. But yesterday the three of us spent a day together as siblings, tracing our shared childhoods in a meaningful trip down Memory Lane.
We recorded our reminiscences as we went along (should any of our younger relatives be inclined to listen) and even learned a few new things about each other. What a delightful day it was!
As we wove a path through Chicago’s streets and into the suburbs, we stopped at each of our childhood homes, along with favorite old hang-outs and the houses of friends.
We visited our old schools, kindergarten through high school, and though security said no to our requests to wander the halls, we did coax the high school guard to take our picture in a hallway that had changed very little since the 1960’s when we attended there.
As for looking back and remembering, I think God is all for it. Reminiscing, I believe, is one of the purposes of his written Word. He frequently prompted the children of Israel to remember what he’d done, in an effort to convince them he would continue to do wonders in their lives if they would only trust him.
The same goes for us. He wants us to look back, especially when times are tough, recalling how he worked on our behalf in the past. From that we gain confidence in his continued efforts in the future. Just as he encouraged then, he will always encourage. Just as he strengthened then, he will always strengthen. Just as he provided then, he will always provide.
Those are comforting thoughts during these days of uncertainty for Mary (and thus for the rest of us). No matter the details, God’s encouragement, strength, and provision will always be present.
Mary, Tom, and I ended our time together yesterday with a meal at The Corner Bakery, purposing to travel through “Part Two” of our histories (colleges, early apartments, newlywed days) on another day. There are more memories to uncover and more blessings to recall.
Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way… (Deuteronomy 8:2)
Praising and Praying with Mary
- Please pray for safe travel tomorrow as our entire family gathers in Arkansas for Thanksgiving, at daughter Julia’s home.
- Pray for each family member as we all try to adjust to this uncertain time. May each of us learn to count blessings every day, no matter what.
Thank you for sharing this “adventure” that you went on with Mary and Tom, Margaret! It got me thinking about what a great idea it would be to do something like that with my siblings, too! 🙂
I don’t often comment on your blog, but know that your writing really touches my heart! Thank you! ~ Nancy (God transplanted us from West Chicago, IL to Brewster, WA last year…and I’ve been doing a lot of reminiscing to trace His hand in it all!)
Sounds like you had a great time! Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for sharing! That was a precious time of sharing for the three of you.
I have a younger sister and the youngest is a brother. We too went down memory Lane to our hometown,places we lived, schools we attended and to our favorite beach as children. Since our church was sold the current pastor let us come inside and we visited where we had grown up in the faith. God is indeed faithful and we join you in thanksgiving and remembering!
I don’t remember meeting Tom at Moody, but Bruce and I remember you all I prayer and wish you all a blessed Thanksgiving.
Today I begin preparation for 22 plus people who will be at our celebration. That number pales against yours :), but the thread of family, love, and fellowship is the same. Next year none of us knows who will be at this earthly table. so we will savor the day and the moment. One thing we will savor is that we will all celebrate one day in heaven together.
I do not know whose idea it was to walk down memory lane in real time, but what a wonderful gift you gave each other. What a wonderful idea to share for others to do the same. No one can walk within the walls of our memories but as mom’s and dad’s we can offer glimpses into what made us who we have become.
Dear Lord Jesus go before the “Johnson’ family these next few days. May this day of Thanksgiving be like no other, filled with love, laughter, affirmations of love and your faithfulness to all generations. In your name Amen.
What a special time the three of you had! I don’t know Tom very well, just that he is, I think, the same age my sister would have been. I remember so well, Mary, that you and Marta drove to Rochester for my Sister’s Memorial Service. That meant so much to me. Praising God for your life, Bervin, siblings and families. Love, KB
I’m so happy that the three “Johnson’s” traveled down memory lane together. The picture in front of the Wilmette home brought back many happy memories of times spent there with your family.
I’m thankful you have taken the time to focus on the family memories and share special time together. Your whole family continues in our prayers. Judi
Thank you for sharing with us your wonderful time with your siblings .As you know l never had that privledge but God in his kindness gave me wonderful friends from Moody Church and also a great family when l married into my Wallys family. All Christians, How blessed we are. Well Mary & Berv we pray for Gods richest blessings on you and trust God to really work on healing you Mary. Its wonderful to say you are all part of our friends growing up at Moody. Love you all And Have A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
I remember your Wilmette home. Keep sharing all the memories, because I love everything about our youthful days, at Moody Church. It’s nice to ‘see’ Tom. It’s been 7 yrs, since our Homecoming Reunion, at TMC. Hugs.