Dreaded Task

Mary’s Monday Musings to Quilt Encouragement
Dreaded Task

Beside staying well, thank you, God, I’ve discovered one unexpected benefit of this “Shelter in Place” we’re enduring. We finally summoned up the gumption to tackle the many boxes of picture slides my father took during the later half of his life. A daunting task. To date, we’ve gone through 43 carousels of 80 slides each. The man took wonderful pictures of our children when they were small as well as perfectly positioned scenery pictures from assorted trips here and abroad. The job took many long, but surprisingly delightful, days to view them. To our relief, the long-out-of-production bulb on the projector lasted through them all. We found the project rewarding. The pictures evoked so many fond memories of our children’s childhoods. We also enjoyed the spectacular scenery from my parent’s jaunts around the country and even some overseas. What a beautiful world God created. We were thankful for the slices of it my parents were able to see.

The whole experience produced delight and sweet memories. We could almost hear the children’s voices as we pressed the projector’s advance button over and over, pausing to exclaim over some charming facial expression or mischievous look. My father’s ability to artistically frame the scenery he snapped made his pictures a delight to view even when we had no idea what mountain, stream, or garden or even what country we were seeing. Discarding hundreds and hundreds of slides was a challenge, but space and a realistic evaluation of what the next generation would care to view demanded a thorough culling.

We aren’t finished. Another big box awaits us, packed with slides that are sometimes clumped by event or location. However, more often simply loose and yet to be categorized. These require placing them in a projector one by one. Yet now, we know the reward that awaits us. We experienced immense gratitude to God for what He did for and in the generation before us. His protection, provision, and caring in the midst of difficulty produced resilience and character in these people who knew the value of family and honor. God honed and provided for those who have gone before us. We thank God for the inheritance and values He established in the generation that raised us. Our hearts swelled with appreciation for the amazing advances they made. We also thank Him for the protection and delights he is giving the generation coming after us. How amazing is our God! How worthy of worship and praise! How deserving of trust with the future of our children and grandchildren! Our Creator, our Savoir has demonstrated His love throughout the ages. Use your pictures to stimulate you to delight in Him. Spend some time every day thanking Him and praising Him. A grateful spirit enlarges our character.