The Chronology of a Life . . . in a File Drawer

Another snow day . . . I eyed my file cabinet and decided to go for it--the third drawer, that is. I carefully opened it up and took the "file pile" off the top. I'd get to that later. I began with the first folder: "A." I evaluated every piece of paper, every article, every poem all the way to file folder "Z." Then I looked through the topical folders from "Activities and Games" to "Weddings." By the middle of the second snow day, I got to my "file pile." By late afternoon, my husband had cleared the driveway of nearly two feet of snow, and I had thrown out a couple bags of papers from my drawer. 

And I made a surprising discovery.

What began as a chore turned into a lifetime of memories for me. I began saving quotes, articles, and pamphlets in high school. During my college years, I took a class called "Pastor's Wife" that required a file, which I took with me to our first ministry. I filed many of the brochures and programs for mother-daughter events, missionary conferences, and for "Graceful Living" as we called our ladies' Bible studies. I remembered the people who invested in my life during those early years with gratefulness. 

When we moved in 1987,  I brought my file box with me and continued to add to it: notes from speaking opportunities and shower devotionals, missionary cupboard plans, ideas for summer vacations and holidays, more women's ministry remembrances. I kept some letters from my mom with advice and menu ideas. I saved articles on mothering, forgiveness, marriage, and teenagers. Decades of service and ideals all organized in alphabetical order. One file drawer represented the chronology of a life.

I noticed something else. The face of Christianity has changed. It seems to me the definitions of holiness have softened. What appeared so important at one time has moved off center stage, all but forgotten. Said another way, how we express our faith has somehow been altered over the years. I'm still mulling over the implications of it all . . .

As I closed my now-tidy drawer, I couldn't help but think about God's faithfulness. Society, both sacred and secular, has changed since my husband and I began our lives together in 1979, but God has not. His Word still offers relevant guidance. He is still "our refuge and strength" (Psalm 46:1). We can count on His presence every single day! 

So, if you could view your life story in one file drawer on a snowy afternoon, what would you find?

Magic Carpet

What's your favorite thing to do during the winter season? 

In our house, we like to read! On any given snow day, I'm bound to find our daughter in the recliner sideways with a thick hardback in front of her. Her dad often has his nose in book at the dining room table, and I find my own way to to snatch a chapter here and there. A great pastime when the wind is howling and temperatures hover near zero.

Here's a silly little jingle about reading dedicated to the children - and maybe to the kid inside each of us.

Make a book your magic carpet.

Open it up and off you go!

 Fly above villages, mountains, and rivers; 

Look over the edge at the glittering snow.

A book's a great forever friend.

It goes with you anywhere:

On your bus ride home to supper

Or curled up in your favorite chair.

People may tell you, "Please be quiet."

But your book can talk to you!

Always learning, always growing - 

That's what books can help you do!

So, on the next snow day, which genre will you turn to first? Which authors will you look for at the library? Is there a picture book that makes you smile?

For starters, I enjoy fiction by Francine Rivers, non-fiction by Ken Gire, Elisabeth Elliot, and Joni Earickson Tada, poetry by Ruth Bell Graham - and a good mystery once in a while . . . 

When our girls were little, a favorite story was The Lemon Drop Jar by Christine Widman.

What book titles are your favorites?