“But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.”
Luke 2:19 (NIV)
I come from a patriotic family, and this meditation will share some thoughts on the veterans in my ancestry. My father served in the army, my uncle (mother’s brother) was a Marine in WWII, and my oldest brother was an Air Force fighter pilot, around the time of the Viet Nam war. Both my uncle and my brother died serving their country, so we are a family who gets a little teary eyed, when we hear American anthems being sung.
As a child, my first introduction to a war hero was the picture of my grandmother’s only son, John, a Marine, who died in World War II.
I remember spending time in her small, humble home, where I still recall an entire area in her living room, dedicated to him. It was a memorial area filled with his photos, war medals, letters and a newspaper article, all in honor of an uncle I never knew, who died eight years before I was born.
I also remember browsing through my grandmother’s scrapbook, which was full of photos of people who were special in her life, like her deceased husband and her siblings, even though I didn’t know any of them. Her son, John, was a Purple Heart Marine hero, who died in WW2, killed by a hand grenade, in Iwo Jima, as he attempted to rescue a fellow marine.
My grandmother kept a letter from the Marine chaplain, who was there in Iwo Jima, which I now have in my own scrapbook today.
After my uncle died, he wrote to my grandmother, to say that he knew her son as a man of faith, who made the ultimate sacrifice as Jesus described, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13)
A scrapbook is very special to the one who put it together, but even more meaningful when it can be shared with others. It’s much more than a collection of photographs, it’s a memorial of someone’s character. My grandmother was able to share and keep the memory of her son alive through a cherished scrapbook.
Mary had a place in her heart where she pondered and stored every cherished memory of Jesus’ life.
She had her own mental scrapbook of memories, miracles, conversations and images that she treasured along the way. When Mary and Joseph searched for twelve year old Jesus and found Him in the temple, He told His parents that He had to be in His Father’s house. Mary treasured that moment, keeping it in the scrapbook of her heart, long after Jesus was gone.
We may have our own memories of how we once searched for and found Jesus. We remember all those events in our lives, and each meaningful moment that He made an impact on us, leaving treasured memories in the scrapbook of our own hearts.
A scrapbook has a twofold purpose, it’s a comforting reflection for the one who keeps it, but it’s also meant to be continually shared with other people.
My grandmother’s scrapbook and memorial to her son, made me feel like I knew my uncle John, even though I never met him.
The memories we hold of loved ones who have passed from this life, are a treasure, and by sharing them with others, we remind ourselves that they are still living forever. Jesus promised, all who believe in Him will live, even if they die. The shared memory of our loved ones today, will continue to bless and comfort many more people tomorrow.
Lord, we honor the memories of all of our loved ones, but especially today, the many veterans, who dwell in the scrapbooks of our hearts. As we share their memories, help us also to share and reflect on your memory as the Lord of all our hope, who died to give us eternal life. Amen
My uncle, John C. Cooper, died in Iwo Jima in 1945
Me with my grandmother in 1958