Milestones and Memorial Stones

I've been thinking for awhile about milestones.  I'll be celebrating quite of few of them this year in my family.  Steve will turn 50.  My kids will turn 13, 16, and 18.  Josh will graduate from high school.  Several of these are commonly recognized major milestones.

The dictionary defines a milestone as a stone set up beside a road to mark the distance in miles to a particular place (• figurative an action or event marking a significant change or stage in development).  It's interesting that it defines where you are, and where you are going on the journey, i.e., your present and your future.

I've also been thinking about memorial stones (and NOT the kind that are used to bury the dead).  In the Old Testament, Jacob's dream resulted in a memorial stone.  In Joshua 4, after the crossing of the Jordan, each of the tribes were to take a single stone and place them together, as a testimony & remembrance to the children.   These were set up in a journey to mark progress of where you have been -- your past.  The stones were a reminder of what God had done in the journey to get you to that place.  It was a time to remember and be thankful.

I believe this is a year for both milestones and memorial stones.  The memorial stones are purposeful. Look for them, and when you see them, stop, remember, and thank God for what He has done up to this point.  The milestones are coming.  They will signal that you are on the pathway to your future.  Look for them as markers on your journey this year.  Once again, stop and thank God.

Small Acts

A small, simple act can have a huge impact.  This picture represents an example of that.  This postage stamp (currently 55¢) has generated a whopping $75,000,000 in funds for breast cancer research to date. I was stunned by the effectiveness of such a small act.  In honor of my sister-in-law, who is bravely fighting her own battle, I did my little part to add to the arsenal of research in hopes of finding a cure.  It cost me an extra $2.00.  The dividend of knowing I'm helping is invaluable.

"I found it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay:  small acts of kindness and love."

--- Gandalf, The Hobbit