Grace on Paper
I am a paper collector. Cards, notes, and brochures from past vacations mark the last 43 years of my life as they lay scattered in drawers and boxes in no order at all . I am also a procrastinator. Dealing with these odds and ends is on my list right under cleaning out the medicine cabinet. My Vermont daughter, Laura is downsizing, inspired by u-tube videos created by a woman who addresses the subject of organizing in almost every way possible. My Virginia daughter, Jessica caught the bug from her sister. Soon I was helping her sort through her clothes. "How many pairs of jeans does one person need?" was one of the many questions we asked each other as her pile of castoffs grew.
This bug can be contagious and soon I was the one with the growing pile of castoff clothes. Dresses, pants, and tops, many that once were prize possessions became victims of logic and the careful appraisal of my daughter, friend, and fashion guru. When the last piece of clothing was either banned from my life or placed back into its proper place, I moved on to books. Steve and I are quite well known for our tendency to pick up books wherever we go. I scanned the large wooden case my husband had built to hold a good portion of our collection. Many had lined the shelves of my husband's boyhood home. Both of his parents are now gone. Other books brought back memories of reading together with other family members. A Bodie Thoene series resulted in many washed dishes as I read to my youngest daughter. Once she kept offering to read as I was reading about the rejection of Jews on a boat as they failed to find asylum from the Nazis. My tears flowed but I would not give up my post. Other books brought back memories of cuddle time with our children. How do you choose what to keep? Other books I had planned to read years ago but they had rarely left the shelf as I was distracted by more books and different priorities. I steeled myself as I again asked the hard questions like "You enjoyed it a lot the first time, but will you really read it again?" Although I am still in the process of weeding out my collection, I'm sure I will find other books that should fill someone else's shelves.
Next on my agenda was disposing of the odds and ends of paper that lay in various drawers and boxes. Many of the cards and notes I found were from my husband written in the months before we were married. He went to an Intervarsity summer camp. He rode on his motorcycle to a faraway place. Since we were newly engaged both the time and distance seemed greater than what they were. He regularly sent me notes some of which told about what books we should read before the wedding as well other things to consider as we looked towards the future. Other letters were silly and designed to make me laugh. One was signed Millard Fillmore. Another letter contained a letter from a secret admirer. Not surprisingly the writing looked a lot like Steve's. The note was written in dramatic flowery phrases as this person pleaded his case. Most of what was mixed together were birthday , anniversary, and Mother's day cards, many of them signed with a tender proclamation of his love. Some stated what year of our marriage or my life was being celebrated. Many of them leave me guessing. A number of the notes were written only to express how much he missed me as he had to be away on church business. Only cards not marked out by a special note, poem or date allowed me to put them in the trash and even those I released with some hesitancy because of the obvious care he must have taken to choose the ones worded just so.
Other family members have also blessed me with notes on the bottom of cards. My children have not always been consistent in the giving of cards but often when they have, they have made up for a good number of the missing notes. Sometimes as the years go by it's too easy to remember what you did not do right as a parent. How wonderful it is to read some of their notes and realize that God allowed me to be a major source of what is right in their lives. As I was sorting through papers, I also read notes from my mother. I had forgotten what a source of spiritual encouragement she had been to me as I dealt with health issues. there were also a smattering of notes from friends at the bottom of birthday cards. I also found here and there notes in a very neat handwriting always on small note paper. These were from my friend Trudi. She was also the wife of a pastor. I knew these notes of encouragement were probably only a small percentage of similar notes she had sent to women over the years. Now that Trudi is gone I hope others hold on to their notes and are willing to like Trudi encourage others with their words on paper..
As a result of a desire for greater ease and greater speed, there will be fewer notes and cards that we can hold in our hands as we read the encouraging words that our gracious God has provided through friend or relative. What a simple ministry to have. Usually when we think of ministry our thoughts go to something far more grand. As I read over the words of all these people it also encourages me to remember God's faithfulness. Even though I might be tempted to focus on my sin and my failures, God has used me anyway. Perhaps as much as I love the ease and speed of e-mailing it's time to buy some note paper and dip again into the world of snail mail.
This bug can be contagious and soon I was the one with the growing pile of castoff clothes. Dresses, pants, and tops, many that once were prize possessions became victims of logic and the careful appraisal of my daughter, friend, and fashion guru. When the last piece of clothing was either banned from my life or placed back into its proper place, I moved on to books. Steve and I are quite well known for our tendency to pick up books wherever we go. I scanned the large wooden case my husband had built to hold a good portion of our collection. Many had lined the shelves of my husband's boyhood home. Both of his parents are now gone. Other books brought back memories of reading together with other family members. A Bodie Thoene series resulted in many washed dishes as I read to my youngest daughter. Once she kept offering to read as I was reading about the rejection of Jews on a boat as they failed to find asylum from the Nazis. My tears flowed but I would not give up my post. Other books brought back memories of cuddle time with our children. How do you choose what to keep? Other books I had planned to read years ago but they had rarely left the shelf as I was distracted by more books and different priorities. I steeled myself as I again asked the hard questions like "You enjoyed it a lot the first time, but will you really read it again?" Although I am still in the process of weeding out my collection, I'm sure I will find other books that should fill someone else's shelves.
Next on my agenda was disposing of the odds and ends of paper that lay in various drawers and boxes. Many of the cards and notes I found were from my husband written in the months before we were married. He went to an Intervarsity summer camp. He rode on his motorcycle to a faraway place. Since we were newly engaged both the time and distance seemed greater than what they were. He regularly sent me notes some of which told about what books we should read before the wedding as well other things to consider as we looked towards the future. Other letters were silly and designed to make me laugh. One was signed Millard Fillmore. Another letter contained a letter from a secret admirer. Not surprisingly the writing looked a lot like Steve's. The note was written in dramatic flowery phrases as this person pleaded his case. Most of what was mixed together were birthday , anniversary, and Mother's day cards, many of them signed with a tender proclamation of his love. Some stated what year of our marriage or my life was being celebrated. Many of them leave me guessing. A number of the notes were written only to express how much he missed me as he had to be away on church business. Only cards not marked out by a special note, poem or date allowed me to put them in the trash and even those I released with some hesitancy because of the obvious care he must have taken to choose the ones worded just so.
Other family members have also blessed me with notes on the bottom of cards. My children have not always been consistent in the giving of cards but often when they have, they have made up for a good number of the missing notes. Sometimes as the years go by it's too easy to remember what you did not do right as a parent. How wonderful it is to read some of their notes and realize that God allowed me to be a major source of what is right in their lives. As I was sorting through papers, I also read notes from my mother. I had forgotten what a source of spiritual encouragement she had been to me as I dealt with health issues. there were also a smattering of notes from friends at the bottom of birthday cards. I also found here and there notes in a very neat handwriting always on small note paper. These were from my friend Trudi. She was also the wife of a pastor. I knew these notes of encouragement were probably only a small percentage of similar notes she had sent to women over the years. Now that Trudi is gone I hope others hold on to their notes and are willing to like Trudi encourage others with their words on paper..
As a result of a desire for greater ease and greater speed, there will be fewer notes and cards that we can hold in our hands as we read the encouraging words that our gracious God has provided through friend or relative. What a simple ministry to have. Usually when we think of ministry our thoughts go to something far more grand. As I read over the words of all these people it also encourages me to remember God's faithfulness. Even though I might be tempted to focus on my sin and my failures, God has used me anyway. Perhaps as much as I love the ease and speed of e-mailing it's time to buy some note paper and dip again into the world of snail mail.
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