Taking time to remember

By Jeff Becraft

Last weekend, Brenda and I got to go to Texas to see the three grandkids there… and see their parents. We flew back into Charlotte on Tuesday.

Once we got our luggage and got in the car and we are trying to get out of Charlotte because we were really close to rush hour traffic, I said to Brenda, “I want to stop at a coffee shop.” She said, “Okay,” so in Rock Hill, we pull into a coffee shop.

I go in and give my order… and I try to sound as knowledgeable as I possibly can since I am not a real coffee drinker. Being the strategic man that I am, I am going to use the bathhouse while we are there. I get to the bathhouse and it has a lock with a push button code on it.

So I go back to the counter… and I ask the girl (she’s probably in her early 20’s) what’s the combo on the bathhouse door. She then rattles off five numbers to me.

I’m staring back at her… like I’m supposed to remember all that? But I don’t say that to her. What I should have said was, “Could you say that a little bit faster please? It was too slow for me to really focus on each number and what order they were in.” But I didn’t say that.

I just said, “What’s the code again?” She then rattles off the numbers again rapid fire. I am thinking to myself, “Okay, this is the moment of truth. I don’t want to ask this young, twenty something, “do-you-know-how-to-write-cursive?” girl to tell me the code a third time… so I just repeat it back to her to see if I have it, and she says, “Yes, that’s right.”

I then head to the bathhouse door, hoping I don’t forget the order that it’s in. When I get to the bathhouse door, I was successful with hitting all the buttons, use the bathhouse, get my drink, and we hit the road again.

As we are heading on I-77 South, I simply say to Brenda, “Do you know why I got this?” She says, “No, why?” And I said, “Simply for the fun of it.”

I have mentioned before over the years that the reason I really started drinking coffee is that there were only two times I would ever have coffee: either I was out on a date with Brenda or we were on a road trip. Both of which were extremely positive experiences. And so I started drinking coffee because it would remind me of Brenda, times with her, and other road trips I have been on. One time when I flew up to Maryland to see my parents, our youngest daughter picked me up at the airport with a bag of trail mix and an iced mocha coffee waiting for me in the car. I still remember it… and many other times.

Remembering is a weapon.

It is a weapon against getting down and discouraged over simply looking at current circumstances and thinking that they are the final word. Or getting overwhelmed and losing perspective on various situations.

To take some moments (even if it is riding on I-77) and remember… and enjoy that moment.

Remembering helps us keep a proper perspective.

I heard one guy say to a group of people once, “Think about the worst day of your life. Well… you are here today. That means you made it through it.”

Remembering the victories, the overcoming’s, the positive experiences… it is a weapon for us to then enjoy each day.

Jeff Becraft is the Director of Our Place of Hope located in Columbia, South Carolina, where people find encouragement to regain meaning, purpose, and hope for their lives. Jeff has dedicated much of his life to helping shift the vision of people’s lives. If you would like Jeff to speak to your group or event, you can connect with him at  [email protected].