We Still Have the Memories

I remember being a young married gal thinking that my life was just about perfect. I had a loving husband, a home full of kids, a great church family, a house to live in, and a car to drive. How much more perfect can life get?

We created so many memories in a house we built on 10 acres out in the country. The 600-foot driveway was dirt until we could afford to lay cement. Yes, we laid 60 10-foot squares in one summer! We mixed the cement by hand and everyone pitched in to help. We hauled water, shoveled gravel, and pounded forms into the ground. That’s how I learned to float cement. Not a job I loved, but like the rest of my family, we knew if we did it ourselves we would save money.

Little did we know how shoveling cement, enduring gravel-speckled knees, and cleaning our grimy, sweaty clothes could be such a bonding experience! We laughed and worked so hard our muscles ached at the end of each day. When the back-breaking project was done, I remember driving up the completed driveway and just praising the Lord for not having to worry about getting my station wagon stuck in the mud again. It was a wonderful feeling after working so hard!

Now my son lives in that home with his four children and he’s creating memories that will last his lifetime and beyond. Sure, we still laugh about things that happened in that house when he was younger, but the kids love the fact that it’s their house now. Over the years the driveway has turned into pavement and it’s so easy to clean the snow off with the tractor!

Ah, the memories of young married life. Let me challenge you with this if you’re a young parent. Never miss an opportunity to create a memory with your kids. Never be too busy to stop and play or read a book or go on an adventure with them. Sure, life takes over sometimes but that’s not the times they will remember. They’ll remember the times together with you doing pretty basic things like making cookies or costumes for a play, or even the summer you laid cement for a 600-foot driveway!