Joyful Transformation

A cold front has moved in. We are having unseasonably cool mornings and evenings. Such weather brings with it waves of nostalgia. This morning before day break I was remembering a summer morning around 3:00 a.m. when me and two of my friends were out walking. I guess we were around 14 or 15, I know we were not driving yet or we would be too cool to walk anywhere. Truth be told, we had no business being out of the house at this time of night, (I am sure we snuck out) but it was such a great time. The crickets and frogs singing away, the certain smell of things that is only there in the cool of the night, the anticipation that daylight was coming, even the knowing we were doing something we shouldn’t and the sheer exhaustion of staying up this long. All of these things made this evening so special. We were not bad kids. We just wanted to stretch ourselves, push at the edges of our boundaries and see what we could get away with. We giggled a lot the way teenage girls do and although we did nothing special this night is one of my special memories.

We had a family reunion on Saturday. I met up with some of these friends from my past. (Yes, most of my childhood friends were also my cousins). I dreaded going, because as I have told you in the past I hate to “waste” a sunny day, but once there it is always good to hook up with people who share your past. They know what you are talking about when you reminisce. They share your memories. More importantly, they knew you when. You don’t have to “put on the dog” for these folks. They KNOW you. There is something very refreshing about being with people who expect nothing of you but to show up and reconnect because of a blood tie.

My Papa Wallace was one of the Godliest men I have ever known. He and my Grandmother loved their family and that love has held us together for 20 years after their deaths. The family is not perfect. There are a lot of us who are trying hard to live a Christian life; we are looking so forward to walking down those streets of gold with Papa. Yet there are many in the family who don’t get it, or just don’t care. I imagine your family is much the same. The seed is always the same, but the heart determines how it will grow. One of my Papa’s favorite songs was “Walking Alone at Eve”. Maybe when I walk in the chill of the evening he will walk there with me. But whether or not he does I know that there is One who will, if I will just invite Him to come.

Sometimes these trips down memory lane help keep us on the road that is before us. I would never want my Papa to be disappointed in me. I can picture him cheering me and my entire multitude of cousins on. I can’t wait for the family reunion he will be at.

Lord come quickly.