I Found a Diary

As I opened that dusty antique chest, my eyes were drawn to a small brown leather diary dated 1946. The yellowed pages held beautiful penciled penmanship. I could tell she took pride in her lettering. The year took on a special meaning for me since I had been told this was the year my parents first met.

My Mother's Diary.

I opened to a random page -

My father took her shoe while she was playing in the high school gym and would not give it back.

Good introduction, Dad. You have always had the ability to couple your smoothness with your incredible sense of humor.

But,even though she was 'peeved', she had thought he was 'swell' and 'very handsome'.

Football games and double dates held their hearts in sway - they could not get enough of each other. I also took a peek into other relational issues - 'fusses' they were called. One was jealous, another was confused at the opposite sex. Just two kids trying on the clothing of adulthood with all of its' drama and joy.

I was mesmerized.

I grew up with both parents in the household, so I knew them pretty well. But, this was different.

This was a deeper look into their passions. Personalities that were growing into the mature ones I now call 'mom' and 'dad'. My mother's diary was a treasure trove for me. As I perused each small entry, I began to piece together the youthful dreams of a life not yet lived. And, now, to see the fulfillment of a lifetime spent, the interwoven dreams and losses felt more poignant.

There is nothing like finding a deeper connection with a relationship. It enriches us. The bonds grow tight, and love, the unconditional kind, gets to blossom. Because I received the gift of a glimpse into their past, I found my heart smiling and crying, all for people I thought I knew well, but now I know decidely better.

I reached for another diary, the one of a man who lived on this earth over 2,000 years ago. I took a deeper look into His passions. It is a treasure trove for me. And, as I begin to piece together His life as it unfolded, just like mom and dad, I find a deeper connection. Not just reading the bible for the sake of checking it off my list of daily duties, but rather seeing it as a gift of a glimpse into a life worth knowing.

A personal relationship.

I found my heart smiling and crying for a man I thought I knew well from all of the things I had heard others tell me, but now, because I am actually reading His diary, I am finding my heart drawn to His unconditional love.

Diaries have always intrigued me.

And, the best one sits on my bedside table.

I can't wait to read the next entry.