Even though I’m a summer loving girl who’s always a little sad to see this season end, I have to admit there are some things about this season that I really love. One of them is the fiery red burning bush that sits just outside my living room window. It is simply gorgeous!
Whenever I look at it, I remember the night we planted it. It was my mom’s birthday and Mom, Jamie, and I decided to just take the day and celebrate. So we got in the car, got some lunch, and ate takeout in the car. Then we went to one of the few stores my Mom could walk through without her allergies going crazy and spent the afternoon browsing. When we got home I made one of our favorite dinners—teriyaki chicken, and we had frozen yogurt birthday cake for dessert.
Then somehow the discussion turned toward how much Mom wanted a burning bush in our front yard. Before long, Mom and I were back in the car driving 30 miles north to a Lowe’s home improvement store to get one of the last plants available that season. It was a fun night. We laughed and talked and acted like it was the biggest adventure ever. Even when I started feeling sick and had to make a detour to a roadside bathroom, we laughed about that. When we got home that night (late because of my detour) the bush was planted in the dark (because my dad dug the hole when it was light). No, it may not have been perfect, but it was a memory. Today when I look at this beautiful plant flourishing in the Fall I think about the tiny bush we bought a decade ago. As I stare at it’s fiery red leaves, I remember that more than anything love flourished that night. My encouragement to you this week isn’t super spiritual, it’s simply this: take time to make a memory. Maybe you don’t have the land or the desire to plant a tree, but you could make a scrapbook, or do something fun with friends or family and take a picture. Take a moment from life’s chaos and do something that will make an impression on the lives of those you love. The truth is that life goes by too fast. Time slips through our fingers. Sometimes the best thing we can do is take the day and use it to create a memory with the important people in our lives. The truth is that is isn’t really about WHAT you do, but the fact that you are taking the time to remind them that they are important to you. You know it’s funny—-I don’t remember what I should have been doing that day. I’m not sure what was on my “to do” list or what room in the house needed to be cleaned. I simply remember that we ignored it all, we took the day, and we made a memory. Looking back, I have no regrets. So heading into the super busy time of year, this is my challenge to you: How can you find time to set aside the chaos of schedules and take a moment to make a memory? Sadly, it won’t happen unless you are intentional about it. Yet, I can promise that if you will make the effort to stop and invest in the people in your life, you will never regret it. Instead, it’s one of the most important things you can add to your to do list: Make a memory.
