Roots!!!

I am sitting here in my in laws house as I type this blog. They have been married for 62 years and have lived in the same house for 60 years. Talk about putting down roots!! Mark knows no other home growing up but this one, isn't that wonderful and amazing at the same time. He tells me stories of how he played in these woods when he was little. As we take walks in woods he points out areas where he played as a boy. It fascinates me as he tells about making forts and riding the "horse tree". He has lots of memories from his childhood there.
Mark and I have been married for almost 18 years and we have lived in 7 different places. That is the life of a pastor though. I have always loved moving and getting to know a new area, but the older I get the more I like the idea of putting down some roots. A place that when you look out across your yard, your mind floods with memories from the past. Honestly, there are places and times in my life that I can't remember. I think this is due to the fact that I haven't consistently lived in the same place. I can see a picture of some place and memories will start flooding my mind of times spent at that particular house. My mom and dad still live at the same place they did when I started the first grade. Things have changed...trees cut down, out buildings added and new neighbors. Nothing stays the same anymore. I know some people have to move because of jobs, but people move at the drop of hat now days. I am not just talking about people in their 20's and 30's. I am talking about people in their 50's and 60's. They leave family houses where they spent a lifetime making memories and where their children grew up. They leave those for bigger and newer houses. Roots are destroyed and childhood memories are just that...memories. No more looking out and seeing the big tree that you climbed up in and fell out of during your 3rd grade year. No more walking in the living room and visions of Christmas' past fill your mind. Memories of the past can be comforting. We once knew a lady that after her husband died, she just had to move. She told me that the house held too many memories, and if felt like they were strangling her. Everyone tried to talk her out of it. Her husband had only been gone a few months, and the memories that were now too painful would one day be comforting to her. She didn't heed any one's advice and moved. I do think she regretted moving after a while. There were no memories at her new house to comfort her when she was really missing her husband. I don't think there is anything wrong in saying this is where we have lived our whole married life...our children were born and grew up here. I would love to say those words, instead I have scrapbooks filled with pictures of places we use to live. If you have roots that run deep and can look at anything around you and precious memories fill your mind of days past, then I would say that you are truly blessed.