God's Basement

This past Fourth of July weekend we-my sibs and our spouses-helped clean out my parents' basement. Despite the strong smell of mildew and everyone's strong suspicions of mold growing wild, we pretty much got rid of it all. Lots of memories were relived as we went through old yearbooks, old pictures, old clothes, old toys and old everything else.
I found out alot about my family. We can come together to aid our parents without killing one another. We work very well as a team. And my sister is a toy thief. While going through her old boxes of toys she announced, "I don't remember this doll." I turned to find a lump rising as I saw one of my most beloved dolls. "Baby Jenny!" I exclaimed grabbing her from my sister. Okay, okay. I love my sister. And she really isn't a baby doll thief. She is a baby doll kidnapper.
My mother found many things she didn't want to part with. This is understandable. We've all gone through the I-used-to-love-it-but-now-it's-time to-say-goodbye syndrome. Especially hard are the items that belonged to her parents. I reminded her she had a lot of special things from her parents and there just wasn't room for her to keep lots of it. She agreed readily and reluctantly. In the end it was all good.
I started to think how we at times live our lives in the basement of our making. All those memories crowding in can be a blessing. For some of us though, it can be a curse. Cleaning out the corners and getting rid of old memories-the painful ones-isn't always easy. Holding onto the sweet recollections is painful too though in a good way as we realize how much we miss our loved ones who have gone home to Jesus.
What if we could give the hurtful past over to God to throw on the trash heap? He'd haul it away and take it to the dump for us. What if the things we refused to get rid of were only the good, happy memories that make us laugh and sometimes cry in a good way? We tend to forget God not only can do this for us but wants to do it for us.
We threw away a lot of trash this past weekend. The pile was huge! There was a certain satisfaction in the purge. My parents were relieved to have it done. I was glad to walk away with some treasures. Treasured memories of God's goodness in my life. Past, present and future.