Mile Markers of Memories

John 11:25-26New International Version (NIV)
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.

As a child, I would become mesmerize by each passing mile marker on the real long road trips that I would count them; as though, it was my way of making sense of the boredom of endless sitting. Occasionally, my mind would be drawn to a familiar site like the restaurant I ate with the family, or something that reminded me of home, or the memory of a loved one long gone. Barbara Streisand captured the essence of that in the song she sang in the musical 'Cats' in 1981. https://youtu.be/78Ruh0ewBVo  She is a shell of her former self when she sang this song. How many of us can relate to being in this similar shell in the days, weeks, months and years following the losses of our life?

William Bridges attempts to make sense of life's transitions in his book called Transitions-making sense of life's changes. He takes readers through the 3 stages of any transition: The ending, the neutral zone, and, in, time, The new beginning. Bridges explain how each transition can be understood and embraced, leading to a meaningful and productive move into the future. This timeless book has been updated with a new chapter about the change in the workplace. If you desire to read the newest edition here is the link for purchasing it on Amazon.http://www.amazon.com/Transitions-Making-Changes-Revised-Anniversary/dp/073820904X?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0


Cinematographers understand the power of emotions and film with their well-placed tunes in crucial scenes. Take, for example, the opening to StarWars written and compose by John Williams-https://youtu.be/_D0ZQPqeJkk
Our emotions, I believe, is the frosting on the cake of life. It is within those feelings that our memories of our loved ones, long gone, are held. Like the mile markers passing before us, memories of them come into our consciousness with each familiar site we remember being at with them.

Sigh... those memories may send momentary triggers that will occasionally tug at out emotional strings, but, at the same time, those memories are a way of us not forgetting them. 

The beauty of being a Christian believer is that, I know, where my love one is at this very moment. Jesus assures that with his words from John, " 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”

I encourage you to embrace those emotional memories and from a metaphorical sense, place each one into a timeless bottle where you can occasionally remember the loved one who help shape you as the person you are today.