Precious Memories

The first time I remember visiting graveyards was when I was 8 in May of 1958. After dinner on the ground at our house in Vinita served on long tables made out of boards, we drove to the cemetery at Bluejacket, Ok. to decorate the graves.

Our California cousins and Wichita cousins had come to visit that summer along with our Uncle Cecil from California who took movies with his new 8mm movie camera. This was the same one he had used in California earlier in the year to take movies of the Rose Parade, mainly concentrating on the bathing beauties and palomino horses that area is so famous for.

Uncle Cecil took movies of my cousin Larry, the "monkey" of the family, doing cartwheels and acting silly. Cousin Donnie who was my age had to show off doing some kind of silly gig and then the Aunts got into the picture showing how to do the Charleston.

In later years, we loved to watch those movies, especially when Uncle Cecil rolled the film backward to show us taking the food out of our mouth when we were eating. Sometimes I wonder how I can remember all those things, but it has been imprinted on my mind, probably by seeing it over and over again in movies.

God is keeping track of all the good times too. Movies will seem so primitive when we get to heaven and learn how He has preserved the memories of our lives.

In I Corinthians 3:12-17, Paul talked about what foundation we are building our lives on-"gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will become clear, for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward." This reward is not salvation, of course, but special rewards for what we have done for the kingdom of God on this earth.

When we stand before the Lord Jesus, the record of our life will be revealed for all to see. Precious memories of my life will never fade away in heaven.