My Heart Stirred for New Years Past week 52

Photo Credit: A. Redmon, Grant Co., WV

REFLECTION
"...But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" (Joshua 24:15).

IMAGINE THIS
I gazed at the old house.
I’d seen it a hundred times.
Yet every time I wonder…
What did it look like before the great ruin?
Could this cold and lonely skeleton have once been a warm and cozy abode on New Years past?
Did it have a family?
Did they usher in the new year with rifle shots?
Did answering shots ring back from the dark West Virginia sky?
And wonder, oh wonder, were Christmas gifts stuffed inside a sock?
Were they wrapped in newsprint instead?
Did the family set its table with gaiety or simplicity?
Did they work its land? Did they appreciate its creek?
So many questions I had for the old house; questions to remain unanswered.
I smiled at the deer standing near its creek;
As I imagined the house’s family.
Would their faces have been pressed against a now missing windowpane?
Would they be watching the deer graze too?
But alas this old house would never again entertain its family.
Like the memory of the chimney, etched against the house’s north end,
The family, too, was long gone.
Only unanswered questions
And the shell of a house now remained.
A tear slid down my cheek.
Overtook by strong emotion, my heart stirred in my chest.
It stirred for the ancient family.
It stirred because another year was drawing to an end.
And the old house knew it not.
I put the Jeep in drive…someday, I thought, my home, too, would have stories to keep.
And I drove toward it, the house called home, determined that, if its walls could speak, Ours would speak of the story of love; the love stories of a few lifetimes.

A DEEPER LOOK
read:
OT:  Joshua 24:15
NT: Matthew 10:35-37

MY THOUGHTS
Journal your thoughts here
Have you ever considered the legacy you will leave behind? Will it be one of love, joy, peace? Will the memories you are making now last a few lifetimes? Just like this old house, each of us have stories to tell and memories to share. And just like this old house, we can keep them hidden behind a cold, rough exterior.

During this winter of empowerment, take time to reflect upon the legacy you will leave behind. As you do, seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit to help you uncover and develop your treasures hidden within.

In Christ with love and compassion,

Coach Kelly

#YourLifeCoachingWV

#BeyondTheMirror