GCR Women

We've had to move Mom to assisted living, so we've been packing up her house.  As we go through drawers and closets and boxes, we find all kinds of treasures.  We also find a lot of things that make us wonder why she saved this or that. Is her whole life the sum of her possessions?  No.  The things we save, the things we discard describe Mom but don't define her.  Mom collected almost everything.  I guess that's a nice way of saying she's a pack rat.  Seriously, she collected match books, seashells, copper cookware, hat boxes, crystal, carnival glass, tea cups and saucers, baskets, red dishes, pink dishes, blue dishes, Christmas dishes, everyday dishes, holiday hand towels, oil cans, watering cans, flower pots.  I could go on and on. Some of these things she used everyday.  Some she saved for special occasions.  Some she kept just in case or because she thought they were pretty. But Mom is so much more than all these things....

A friend once told me that God places people in our lives for a reason, a season or a lifetime.  I've learned how true this statement is. Sometimes, someone crosses your path briefly.  She's in and out like door opening and closing again, but her influence moves me in a new direction. Then, I meet someone who comes into my life and we form a bond.  We think we'll spend time and life together from now on, but like fellow cruise ship passengers who reach port and go their separate ways, our paths diverge and we both move on. Oh, but the people God puts in my life for a lifetime!  They have the most profound effect on me and I on them.  We enjoy each other's company as we do the simple daily tasks.  We encourage, we criticize, we build up, we tear down.  Our lives show the imprint we've made on each other without even realizing it. Whose life are you influencing for a reason? Whose life do you bond with for a season? Whose life are you sharing...