Those memory flashes…sometimes they are good and sometimes they are hard <3

This morning I tagged along on Russ’s bike ride through the neighborhoods around us and along a new trail our city put in last year. 

Several spots along the way I inhaled the scent of honeysuckle and sure enough as I peered off to the side, I could see it blooming amongst the trees. 

Normally when I smell honeysuckle, I am transported to the little street that that had a cut through in the hedge with walking stones that led from the streets of my neighborhood down a lane of old houses and to the doorstep of my piano teacher. 

The honeysuckle was the most pleasant part of the trip going and coming and often as I returned, the houses were cranking up their kitchens for dinner so I had the added scent of deliciousness that made me hungry. 

But today a different memory popped into my head. One I have to say was buried deep and perhaps it is all the Mother’s Day posts and emails and ads and such that helped it bubble up. 

As I inhaled this lovely fragrance this morning I was reminded of Avon Honeysuckle cologne splash. I googled it just now and sure enough, those tiny bottles are still available through eBay. The scents have been discontinued, but I am almost sure if I dug through the boxes that remain of my mom’s treasures, there is an empty one somewhere in the mix. 

She sold Avon for a while.

Always the homemaker who was there for us before and after school, she (like me) managed to find little part time jobs to pour her energy into and feel like she was contributing to the expenses of our family or pay for some extras here and there.

I loved when she got her catalogs and poured over them with diligence.

And when the shipments arrived, oh my…the decanters were a sight to behold. I loved the sample kits and can still remembering marveling at the miniature lipsticks. I may have tried a few or more…

She recruited me to help bag orders, which was my jam anyway. Our dining room became the distribution center and it was so fun to take her stack of tickets and fill those bags. 

There was a satisfaction that came when I stapled the receipt on the completed order and now that I think about it, perhaps my love of retail was birthed right there alongside my mom. 

I haven’t thought about any of that in ages. 

And that is the thing about memories. 

They may sleep a long time until they are stirred at just the right moment in the right set of circumstances.

Sometimes the right time is not the most wanted or convenient time for us to process. 

This was a happy memory and I loved thinking about it as I rode with Russ today. It made me smile. I always welcome warm thoughts of my mom. 

Because sometimes I remember things that hurt and were hard. 

But they are part of my story, too. They also must be held up to the light for a moment and examined and perhaps revisited. 

Happy or sad, I love the reminder that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever.

He was there in those moments and He is with me when they resurface. The older I get, the more I want to sit with Him in the memories. 

I find myself thanking Him for the joy of the good ones and thanking Him for carrying me through the hard ones. 

I say it every year, friends. 

Mother’s Day is a mixed bag. 

It is wonderful in some ways and it is painful in others, all for a lot of different reasons. 

So today, just for you who stopped by here, I pray your sense the love of your Savior in whatever memories pop up.

I pray you know and believe His great love for you and I pray that you would have joy. I pray that in good and hard places, you can see His faithfulness and comfort.

I pray you sense Him throwing His head back and laughing when things were sweet as honeysuckle and I pray you are confident of His tears when thorny things tore your soul.

He loves us. Oh how He loves us. You are precious to Him and deeply loved <3