Sweet memories...

Yesterday I decided that I was going to clean out and organize my entryway closet. It was WAY overdue and since our house is for sale I thought it was definitely a must!

So I went to Walmart and purchased some baskets, shoe racks, etc and came home and worked my magic.

But you'll have to wait until tomorrow to see how it turned out!

(It's okay to hate me)

While I was going through the closet though I ran across a dusty old box that contained all of the cards we received for our wedding and showers. Of course, being mushy old me, I sat down right in the middle of our living room floor and went through all 200+ of them. It was such a blessing to see all the sweet words of encouragement and prayers that people sent our way during that time.

I was overcome with joy and sadness recalling memories at seeing the precious handwriting and sweet words of some of the people who left us much too soon. My sweet Aunt Vanda passed away not long after we were married. To see her words of testimony and encouragement, at a time when she could barely walk, I sat there and bawled like a baby.

And then I ran across a card from Landen's Grandpa Dallas who passed away a year ago. If ever two people loved each other it was his Grandma and Grandpa Marr. I'll never forget at the funeral when his Grandma looked at me and said "My vows aren't over yet." He was such an amazing man, and we were blessed beyond measure to have him in our lives.

I ran across a card from my Aunt Virginia who was taken at a young age leaving behind a very young family just this past summer. Again, such words of wisdom and love placed behind each pen stroke.

Card after card I was reminded of people who have come and gone out of our lives over the last four years. Best friends who are now in other places, church members who have went to be with the Lord, family members who we'd love to see just one more time. Isn't life beautiful! Through the heartaches and the pains God blesses us with people to make our lives complete.

And when you are sitting in your living room floor, crying your eyes out, you realize. You WOULD NOT be who you are without each of those people in your life.

Towards the end of the box I came across a little piece of paper and it brought the tears back all over again.

At our household shower, Landen and I were in the middle of opening all of the gifts we were blessed beyond measure to receive when my mom placed a big bag in front of me. I remember looking at her in confusion because I knew that my parents gift to me was the wedding and I was going to be mad if they had bought anything else.

I remember opening the bag and seeing the card.

When I opened the card a picture and a little piece of paper fell out. The picture was of my Grandma McGee holding me when I was a little girl.

And the piece of paper looked like this:

Let the tears begin.

You see, my Grandpa McGee died before I was even born, and my Grandma passed away when I was 3, not too long after the picture was taken that I was holding in my other hand.

So what in the world was in the bag?

I opened the tissue paper back and let me tell ya, when I pulled the gift out of the bag everyone in the room began to cry.

It was a quilt.

A purple quilt to be exact.

Purple is my favorite color.

Sometime, years ago, a woman sat quilting her little baby granddaughter a blanket, knowing that one day she would grow up; prayerfully meet a handsome, God-fearing man, and marry him. My Grandma made me a quilt.

I remember looking at my mom and just crying. My sister and my cousins were crying, we were all an emotional wreck...and it was the best gift I think I have ever received.

So you see, we are blessed.

We are blessed through friends, through family, through cards given to us at a wedding.

And we are blessed by Grandparents whose memory is still alive...every time I look at the quilt.