By Nancy Timbrook McCrickard, Mission Advancement advocate

As I write this reflection, in front of me there is an image of the inspiring words of Mahatma Ghandi: “My life is my message.” These words have invited me to reflect on my own life. Currently, at my home, we are in the midst of downsizing all our “stuff.” Nearly every non-working moment is filled with sorting items we have collected over the years–and then either packing it in a container, donating it, recycling it, or disposing of it. Frequently, I find myself wondering, “How have we collected this much stuff?” And, “Where has the time gone?” The years seem to have slipped by.

While many aspects of this process are sometimes overwhelming, this process is, in all honesty, also refreshing. Over the weekend the voice of my father came into my mind—words he spoke during his final weeks in hospice as I worked with him and my mother to downsize their 62-plus years together accumulation of “stuff”: “I’m touching memories!” I’m touching memories. Wow! His words and that perspective specifically struck me over the weekend as I was sorting through a box of “stuff” stowed away from my years growing up in West Virginia.

Yes, I found my first-grade naptime blanket (pictured above) that my Mom made for me 55-years ago (we didn’t have kindergarten then), but I also found small things like a bag of newspaper clippings. My first thought was—as you might be thinking right now—“Why did I keep this?” While the answer totally eludes me, upon closer analysis I realized that these clippings belonged to my maternal grandmother. A date on one of them is 1958–nearly 70 years ago! When my grandmother clipped the poem “The Wondrous World” by Olive Plants so many years ago, she could not have imagined that I would be inspired by it all these years later—much less that I would have the opportunity to tell all of you about it!

Truthfully, “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” Like my grandmother and my mother, I sometimes collect “inspirational tidbits” that I stow away to reread later, at times even tucking them into my Bible.

In light of this current moment in my life of “touching memories” and reflecting on the passage of time, I want to share one more “inspirational tidbit” that I collected a few years ago from a devotion that was shared on one of my Brethren Disaster Ministries Rebuilding Project trips:

Imagine there is a bank that credits your account each morning with $86,400. It carries over no balance from day to day. Every evening it deletes whatever part of the balance you failed to use during the day. What would you do? Draw out every cent, of course!

Each has such a bank. Its name is TIME. Every morning, it credits you with 86,400 seconds.

Treasure every moment that you have! And treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time.

Go forth treasuring the moments you have and treasuring those with whom you share them. May you be blessed by every opportunity to make—and touch—memories.

Learn more about the ministries of the Church of the Brethren that offer opportunities to make meaningful memories at www.brethren.org/greatthings. Support the faith-building and life-changing work that is passed on from one generation to the next at www.brethren.org/give.

(Read this issue of eBrethren.)