“Nothing you love can ever be forgotten.” Heard this quote today during a movie I watched with my granddaughter Handley and her mother. Never thought about this but what a beautiful expression of how wondrous our memories are. We all have stories to tell, but we can only tell stories about things we remember. Howard Thurman defines memory as “one of God’s great gifts to the human spirit without which neither life nor experience could have any meaning.”

Memory really is a priceless gift. I’m making memories with my grandchildren this weekend and I hope these memories flood their hearts when I’m no longer with them. We’ve built card houses, laughed ourselves silly, watched movies, ate too many snacks, and stayed up late watching the Olympics. Can’t count the hugs and “I love you, Patty,” I’ve heard today and yesterday and I’ve got two more days left of my visit. Never be afraid to tell someone you love them, you might not have another chance. Life is glorious and I appreciate every moment. I’ve learned how fleeting it is.

Don’t get to see the sunset here in Peachtree City and I miss Mother Nature’s watercolors and Father Sky’s kissing the sun goodnight, his hanging the moon and stars to end the day and wake the night. But tonight I watched Mother Nature out the car window as she created a dark peach wildfire burning across the horizon, the sun a fiery red-orange ball blazing in a golden yellow light, silhouetting the trees jet black. I told my grandchildren to look out the car windows and see Mother Nature’s beautiful watercolor painting of the sun setting.

God’s love is like the sun. It’s always there and never changes. If we have faith, our love for God will be a star that shines like the sun through everything we do.

“In family life, love is the oil that eases friction, the cement that binds close together, and the music that brings harmony.” — Friedrich Nietzsche