In the summer of 2015, the Lord blessed our family with the privilege of purchasing a new home in the country on 2.5 acres.
Our family loves it, and it’s provided us with numerous hours of outside fun, from football to basketball, shooting bow and arrows, and plenty of playing in the snow. Not to mention other activities including a zip line, building good guy/bad guy forts, and having a huge burn pile which the boys absolutely love.
The Opportunity To Make Memories Is Now, But Not Forever
As the days pass, I realize more than ever that my children, while still young, are not going to be young forever. Even within the next few years, some of our children could be coming over to our home to visit because they’re married and have kids of their own. Wow. Scary.
When that day comes, I want them to be able to walk through our home or into our backyard and be flooded with good memories that fill every square foot of our 2.5 acres. I want them to be able to go to any area in our backyard and be reminded of the good times shared and the love shown.
I can remember as a child when my grandparents were living, I’d spend a lot of time at their house. Grandpa and I would play catch in the driveway and climb trees in the yard. I would play endless games of Yahtzee at the kitchen table with Grandma while eating out of the long plastic tubed bag of white powdered donuts with a tall glass of milk. I would lay in the middle of their living room floor and watch Nick-at-Nite TV.
My parents now live in that same house, and every time I go there, when I stop to look around and ponder the past, I can see memories of all of those things exactly where they happened. Those parts of my childhood in that house still bring back a flood of good memories.
What I Want For My Kids To Remember Most
I want the same thing to be true for my children when they one day come home to visit their “empty nester” mom and dad. I don’t want their strongest memories to be of the times we watched a bunch of movies together (although we enjoy doing that), or of the times we sat around playing games on our smartphones (although we do that occasionally too).
- I want them to walk through a flood of different kinds of memories as they approach our home. I want for there to be so many memories of good times we shared that they could take their son or daughter around our yard, telling all the stories of the things they did and the blessed life they were privileged to live in this place.
- I want them to walk into our home and be reminded of all the times we wrestled together on the living room floor, or the many times we sat on the couch and opened the Word of God together.
- I want them to walk into the dining room and remember the meals we shared, the conversations we had, the games we played, and all of the living and loving that was shared across those few square feet of table space.
- I want them to look into the kitchen, and when they see mom fixing yet another meal, to remember all the good meals we enjoyed together, and the times we shared eating, laughing, and enjoying life together in that same place.
- I want them to walk into their rooms and be reminded of images of mom and dad tucking them into bed at night and kissing them on the forehead, as well as memories of us praying with them at their bedside.
- I want our home to be not just a place that they come, to but a memory that they cherish… A place that makes them feel special, no matter how old they are, because this is the place where our family became friends, where our moments became memories, and where our love became life.
“Home… the place where our family became friends, where our moments became memories, and where our love became life.”
How’s It Going To Happen?
So… in order to “fill my backyard with memories”, what do I need to be doing today? Well, it all happens one memory at a time. So for me…
- I need to be carving out time to play football or basketball regularly with my boys.
- I need to be getting home from work on time each night so that I can prioritize those moments that will one day become precious memories.
- I need to be disciplining myself to say no to other “urgent” things demanding my time so that I can say yes to my kids.
- I need to resist the urge to be selfishly motivated and make time to put the needs and desires of my children above my own.
2.5 acres of a backyard is a lot of space to fill with a ton of memories. I’m trying to add to those memories weekly, if not daily. It’s a work in progress, but I’m still working on it.
“Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.” -Dr. Seuss
In fact, I think it’s about time that I sign off. My boys are begging me to go play some basketball in the driveway.
What about you? What things will you do today to fill your backyard with memories?
