The Roadmap Part 3 - Souvenirs

I'm a hoarder.  There.  I said it.  I collect things.  I'm sentimental.  I attach emotional value to inanimate objects, and I don't feel all that bad about it.  (I would, however, like to apologize in advance to whomever will be cleaning out my house upon my untimely demise.)  There is something about being this way that keeps the rearview in sight too often though.  Eyes forward.  Keep moving ahead, but "look how pretty... I got this from someone who hates me now back when they didn't hate me." (It doesn't really go like that... ok, maybe sometimes.)  Not everything I've kept is of value - I'll agree with you on that.  But some things have value to me.  Reminders, trinkets, memory-evokers - all things that can remind me of better days when the times get tough.

We are a forgetful people quite often.  When faced with troubling times, devastating diagnoses, or economic downturns, our first response is often a knee-jerk to fix it at all cost, or cry out to the heavens and demand an explanation.  We don't always stop and look back at our history or God's track record.  We need to be reminded.  We need a souvenir on this journey.

The Rabbi Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Hasidic Judaism and the philosopher of this process through which we've been working our way, call this the "sweeten".  He inspired us to Accept our situation which we've called "You are Here".  He inspired us next to Discern what God is doing or saying in this situation in our "Sight / Seeing".  And now he calls us to "Sweeten", find elements of joy that you can carry with you in the darkest days.  Grab a souvenir on this road trip - you'll need it later.

If Joy were a 2 year old, he's right here.

Our family suffered the loss of my sister-in-love a couple of years ago to her third round of cancer.  I can't say it was a painful loss, simply because it still IS a painful loss.  Leaving a long, strong marriage, three adult children and a grandbaby, she left caverns in our hearts that remain unfilled.  So in the wake of her full life now on the "other side", we've had to accept it.  We have the promise of Heaven and the Savior she loved that give us light in the dark days.  And we collect souvenirs of joy in the journey through grief.  Joy - like what her grandson Watson brings us.  My goodness, he has such a personality and he's hilarious even at 2.  He's not a souvenir, but the thousands of laughs and smiles he brings us are.  He's a sweet spot in these difficult days.

I have several souvenirs in my heart from my own difficult days.

When I was unemployed for over a year, I spent every afternoon in my friend Penny's pool listening to Johnnyswim sipping a dollar drink from the Golden Arches.  Playdays with Krissy scavenging clearance racks and exploring Ikea.  Those are really sweet memories.

How sweet it was to come home for my niece's wedding while I was unemployed (I managed to have the time off, LOL), and got to see my Dad one last time before he passed a month later.

Some of my Ocala friendship remain sweet souvenirs of some hard days.  The job the Behars gave me and the way they pastored me through those changes were sweet to my soul and I carry that with me still.

The souvenir of living with Mom after Dad passed when we could love each other through those transitions.

I could list a thousand more, and so could you.  In your difficult times, what brought you joy?  How did you feed your soul?  What will you carry with you as a reminder that even in the darkest days, God was faithful.

We live in a chaotic world that seems to descend into more and more trouble every day.  Jesus said it this way, "In this world you will have trouble, but take heart - I have overcome the world."  We are going to have bad days.  We will have situations beyond our control. We will experience pain and loss and all the confusion and disillusionment that comes with it. But take heart, Jesus overcame the world and you can make it.  When we accept where we are, discern His voice, and sweeten our journey, we can not only survive our troubles, we can look back on them with the joy of knowing He was faithful and kind and never ever left us.  




(This series is based on an article from My Jewish Learning.  Click the link for the full article.)