I think that our home is actually a collection of time capsules—bins and boxes that hold our shared history. While rummaging around in our basement recently, it occurred to me that these containers of artifacts might be useful. Perhaps I could spend time among our life history-holders—reminding myself about the long arc of our lives, and of the durable identities that still characterize us.
As I began this entry, I realized I had forgotten about the memories also sequestered in other places—hanging in closets, fastened to walls, alphabetized in file cabinets or standing on bookshelves. Journals, photo albums, our kids’ school papers, artwork of various kinds, flash drives—all examples of memory-renewers that might stimulate enjoyable experiences.
These perhaps-forgotten places are waiting all over our home, inviting us to be joyful, satisfied, grateful. In troubled times, it can be hard for those pleasurable attitudes to bubble up. Carrying us back to earlier days, encouraging us not to give up, and not thinking less of ourselves too quickly.
More than nostalgic, those moments of relived history might remind us that there’s still a lot more to us than meets the eye. These capsules remind us of the memorable qualities, adventures and accomplishments that might reignite our amazement, curiosity, pride and humility. Perhaps the greatest value of all: Giving us solid reasons to be grateful to God for all that has happened over these years together.
Every so often over the next weeks, I’m going to tell you about what I’ve rediscovered as I’ve poked around, perhaps as an encouragement for you to do the same with your own time capsules. That way, you and I can remember together what went into what gradually made us the people we are today.
Maybe even who we may become…?
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