One of Nick's friends from his football team left this football (pictured above) at the cemetery with the words "Forever #14" written on it.  Another football buddy left the little football figurine.  Maria and I ran to the cemetery about a week ago and picked them to add to our new memory garden at the house so that we could keep them safe from being thrown away by anyone cleaning up the cemetery.  A few days after that I saw this little reading angel at KMart and had to get it because Nick loved to read more than just about anything else.

I'm starting to cherish my little memory garden more and more every day.

If you've had to temporarily say 'goodbye' to someone who is very special to you, I encourage you to find some way to establish something in their memory. 

I think there's something powerful about memory gardens....if you think about it, Jesus  chose to go to a garden to                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           be alone with His Father.....

I'm amazed every day at just how human Jesus was while He was here.....and yet just how Divine He was at the same time.

I'm thankful for a Savior who understands the road of grief so intimately that He can walk right alongside all of us who have broken hearts, and yet I'm thankful that He demonstrated where to go with with our pain and our sadness so that we can still live for God.

He went to the garden, and I just have to believe that while He was there he soaked up every ounce of creation around Him.

Praying you will choose to soak up creation around you as you spend time alone with your Heavenly Father,