Tuesday, May 19, 2020

A timely reminder


As regular readers here know, I'm continuing to sort through the contents of my childhood home on a near-daily basis.  One of my finds was the memo pad above.  It was evidently a freebie with an order from the Faith, Prayer and Tract League.   It was suggested that these memo pads, with "31 pages of wisdom" be used as gifts, favors, etc.  Above was what the front page looked like.  Below is the reverse side of the page:

Each page of the memo pad is mostly blank except for a sort of proverb on one side of the page (not from Scripture) and a Bible verse on the other side.

So all along I've been setting aside memo pads and similar sized pads of paper.  They make great labels for various boxes and pieces of furniture going to specific places or people, i.e., "DUMP"; "THRIFT"; "BOOK DROP", or a person's name.

I also use them to write notes to myself as in the one below.

For whatever reason, I then turned the page over.  It was blank, of course, except for the Scripture verse:

Wow.  It stopped me in my tracks.

Some days I do get weary.  Weary of the task of cleaning out the homestead.  Even wearier of the way life is in our world right now.

The full verse says,

"And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not."

Better days are coming.  One day we will reap the rewards of patiently serving the Lord and seeking to do all to His glory, even in wearisome tasks amid wearisome circumstances.  What a timely reminder!

8 comments:

  1. So true! Better days are always coming. It is perfectly understandable why you grow weary. Time for some refreshment of the spirit. A walk would be oh so lovely on this beautiful day...

    (I often find myself without a piece of paper...happens every single day.)

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    1. I did get a walk that day, and every day this week has been equally beautiful. It definitely does refresh the spirit!

      At home, it seems I am never near the post-it notes when I need one. I always have to go hunting. At the homestead, I have paper and sharpies in nearly every room!

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  2. So true. I know how hard it can be going through a home. When we got ready to move into our present home, Jeff's parents had so much. My sister-in-law did a lot but she had so much trouble doing lots of it. I will admit that I was overwhelmed with many emotions. Some of it is easy to just dispose of OR label put it in the estate sale, but others were just so hard. Memories associated with it or just the thoughts of a lifetime of accumulation. You almost have to sort through the emotions as much as the stuff. But that is a cute notepad and I figure you have found many things like that.

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    1. You are so right -- one almost has to sort through the emotions as much as the stuff. It's very difficult.

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  3. I love your little memo pad that you found! As I was reading the first page, I was thinking about how outdated it was.."leave one in every phone booth"...something we just don't have anymore! And many of us don't even have a stationary phone spot in our homes anymore with the use of cell phones. But I do still love to have a note pad handy in various places in the house because you never know when the phone will ring that is in your pocket, and you will need to write a note! I know how hard it is to go through all those things...and the verse your found in Galatians is perfect. I can so relate. Am still finding things (or trying to find things) since our move 8 months ago. I am discovering things I forgot we had. And still can't find things I can't believe I've lost. I need to remember that verse and not grow weary...but just trust in the Lord. If I am supposed to find those things I will. And if not, I won't, and God will give me peace about it (I hope!) Blessings to you today. You always have such good words of wisdom to share.

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    1. Yes, I thought that too when I read the first page. Not sure my grandchildren have ever seen a phone booth! And nowadays, at least here in NH, the phone book is also a thing of the past.

      Blessings to you as well!

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  4. When I read your posts about sorting through your childhood home, I'm taken back 22 years ago when we were denied that opportunity because my dad had had everything in his house removed and stored in another building he owned (it was an old store that served as his plumbing business). We sifted through a few items, but it was impossible to really look through much because it was all packed up and stored away pretty tightly.

    And then... When I read your posts, and reading Sandy's comment above, I'm struck that perhaps I was spared a very hard thing. The people who sorted through it all belonged to the auction company that sold it all. It was, in some very real ways, painful to watch my childhood being sold for what felt like pitiful little, and I have sometimes regretted items that got sold that I never had a chance to retrieve from the whole of it. But then life went on and I mostly got over it all. Mostly. But I suspect my hard thing was easier than your hard thing.

    We will be in your shoes at some point, though there will be two other siblings to help sort through DH's mother's home someday. Twenty-two years older now, that feels like a daunting task - mentally and physically. In the end, I'm sure much will be hauled out and just as with my father's home there will be things lost and regretted later. I'm thinking there's a lesson in there. Probably many lessons. We do give thought to how we can make that project easier on our own sons. Is this the lot of every generation, or is this a new-ish thing, born out of the prosperity and materialism of the 2nd half of the 20th century? I'm a long way from minimalism, but this sort of thing urges me towards it.

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  5. I know just what you are saying that you are a long way from minimalism, but this sort of thing urges you towards it. I feel the same way. We are really trying to prepare so the process will hopefully be easier for our own kids, but we need to try and complete this other task first, or at least simultaneously.

    Overall, I think that you're right in your suspicion that your hard thing was easier than mine. But still, I can't imagine how hard it must have been to have it taken completely out of your hands and to have no real say in it. Watching your childhood being sold must have been incredibly hard. I think perhaps our hard things were equally difficult.

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