Last fall I was thinking back over Summer 2024 in preparation for sharing a testimony with other ladies. I thought about how many wonderful memories have been preserved in photos that we took. (Now, in light of the devastation to that area from Hurricane Helene, I am doubly glad we took as many pictures as we did. And I wish we had taken more.) It seems to me that this past summer is one of the nicest that we have had in a long time, as far as good memories go. At that time, I began a post full of summer memories.
I found myself thinking of these memories in terms of snapshots. Actual snapshots, as the first part of the definition below describes:
Ice cream with our friend Terry -- I'm so thankful we got to do this (and got this photo) on a day when she was feeling well and able to fully enjoy it. That is a flight of ice cream on the table in front of her.
Family members playing cornhole on the porch of our Airbnb farmhouse in North Carolina as the rain fell outdoors. We had lots of time to make precious family memories on this trip.
Time with old friends at Table Rock State Park in South Carolina. So thankful for the gift of friendship and being able to encourage one another in the Lord.
Mountains upon mountains on the Blue Ridge Parkway. God gave safety in travel and many opportunities to ponder His might, sovereignty, and endless creativity.
Cousins at Cracker Barrel (plus Emily's and Julia's friend Lily). Even though many of Emily's siblings weren't here, it was a wonderful time for these cousins to reconnect.
A wonderful couple of days with our friends Tom and Judy in Pennsylvania. We have been wanting to visit them for some time and are so thankful that a visit, although brief, finally happened.
Reconnecting with our precious friends Chris and Debbie in the Maritimes (we stayed in New Brunswick but also visited Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island). We had not seen them in over ten years. What a delight to pick up where we left off.
As I reviewed further, I thought more deeply -- about other memories that are recorded in the heart. We didn't get photos of those, but some pictures are indelibly (I hope) etched upon upon hearts and minds. These could be considered snapshots too, more like the second part of the definition. And I frequently find myself taking out these "pictures", reviewing the blessings and sharing them with others.
A few Scripture verses came to my mind:
"Many, O LORD, my God, are Thy wonderful works which Thou hast done, and Thy thoughts which are toward us; they cannot be reckoned up in order unto Thee. If I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered." (Psalm 40:5)
"Let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually ... the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name." (Hebrews 13:15)
"I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth." (Psalm 34:1)
"I will meditate also of all Thy work, and talk of Thy doings." (Psalm 77:12)
"We will not hide them from our children, showing to the generations to come the praises of the LORD, and His strength, and His wonderful works that He has done." (Psalm 78:4)
And so here are a few of those snapshots to share with you:
* Sharing a meal at a restaurant with dear ministry friends -- enjoying wonderful food and a fun atmosphere, but even better, sharing from the heart as we encouraged one another in the Lord. This happened a few times with various couples and families.
* Having a moment of prayer as various friends parted from one another, not knowing when or where we will meet again in this life. But knowing we will meet again in heaven!
* Realizing as we reconnected (and praising God!) that some of our friends have been through very difficult times, but they have continued to walk faithfully with their Lord.
* Experiencing amazing hospitality all along the way as we were blessed by people using that spiritual gift. Wonderful accommodations, fantastic food, and just all-round caring and sharing.
* Having opportunities to minister this summer -- Sunday School, VBS, our regular volunteer work at TWNE, and hosting a couple of cottage prayer meetings at our little camp.
* Even better, watching three of our teen grandchildren minister in music at church and in teaching VBS.
* Through the generous hospitality of our New Brunswick friends, getting to return to a provincial park on PEI where we'd spent many happy times camping with our children.
* Being blessed by a memory book our daughters put together to commemorate our half-century of marriage. The notes from far-flung family and old friends were so precious!
* Getting to have our NV granddaughter Emily with us for an overnight stay at the North Carolina Airbnb. What a delight to have her with us around the table and to look after her needs for just a few hours.
* And maybe one of the dearest, most precious snapshots of the summer -- the seating for our Cracker Barrel meal worked out so that the four adults were at one table and all of the grandchildren, plus Lily, were at another. At one point my daughter looked their way and whispered, "They're praying!" Yes, oldest grandson Sam took the lead and they all bowed their heads as he gave thanks for the food.
There are more -- many more. But I have delayed publishing this post long enough, so I'll leave you with just this handful of snapshots from last summer.
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