Beyond the memories

2 Timothy 1:5-7
I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you. For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands; for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.

As leaves fall

and replenish the earth

letting go of their hold on life

yet still giving

of all that enriched and sustained

passing on

to a new generation

their gifts

that continue to nourish

and renew

So those who have gone before us
our mothers
and our grandmothers
our Eunice and Lois
or Cathy and Mary
or...

those from whom we gleaned

the stories of faith

those in whom we witnessed

the wonders of grace

continue to enrich our lives

as we remember

their goodness

and their love

And we take on the mantle 

of the story tellers

the ones who 

live out faith today

for a new generation

the ones who

keep memories alive

who keep the light of faith

kindled

in the season of darkness

until the dawn creeps in

once more 

and the light

transforms

fallen leaves

into harbingers

of faith

and hope

and love
the gifts of yesterday
for today
and tomorrow
Rekindled
in every generation