I love memorials and mementos. Looking back on items collected that remind me of people, places, and experiences, or visiting memorials that prompt me to reflect on the past—both evoke emotion and thought.
In my mind, memorials are best accurately described in the story told in Joshua 4. One man from each of the twelve tribes of Israel was instructed by God to gather a stone and place it as a “reminder” to future generations of the miraculous holding back the waters of the Jordan River. Over the years I’ve collected many mementos and our home stands as a perpetual memorial of God’s provision.
This pic shows a sweet little addition to what I affectionately call the ‘White House’ and is my very own memorial. The story of this memorial goes like this:
Back in 2016 I attended “The Call” in LA where we celebrated the 110th anniversary of the Azusa Street Revival. At this point in time, unbeknownst to me, one of my sons was deep into his addiction. While I knew he was struggling, I was unaware of the depth of his addiction and desperate for a change in his life. On the way home from The Call I began reading Lou Engle’s book, “The Jesus Fast” feeling completely desperate for change. I remember thinking that I had nothing to loose, I was desperate for anything to work in reaching and helping my son.
After a couple of weeks into the fast I watched as the unchangeable begin to change. Two days before the fast ended, I was sitting on an airplane, having just admitted my son into treatment. That season was intense, painful, and fruitful.
Fast forward five years...
During his visit home over Christmas 2020, Ty severely dislocate me and broke his elbow while snowboarding. This required him to return to Texas (where he now lives and works) for surgery. On the morning of surgery, I spent time praying for him, a bit worried as to how the medications would affect him. Would it trigger the past? Would he be ok? As I finished praying I heard “look on Craigslist”. Honestly, I thought I was just distracted, but I did it anyway. In my endless reorganization of the White House I had been looking for shelving and as I scrolled, this metal shelf and its 66 drawers caught my eye! As I flipped through the pictures, one revealed a metal tags that it had been manufactured in AZUSA, California. Turns out, these shelves were used by churches to store sheet music.
For me, this was a kiss from heaven. On the very day I needed it, God took me full circle back to the very beginning at Azusa— to the sweetest memorial of His faithfulness and love. This time, Ty and I were both able to look back with gratitude and love, realizing the maturity and progress made the past years.
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