Packing Find

Moving causes you to throw away a whole lot of "stuff" (I prefer stuff over junk!). Apparently, I'm really good at keeping every birthday card, note, and ticket of every event in my life. As I'm cleaning out a ton of my things, I have found several items that are definitely worth keeping. I've been sending a lot of pictures to people recently of my wonderful little "treasures."

There was one box that contained a bunch of stuff from middle school/high school that I had just decided could all be trashed. I opened it up and showed my dad that it could all just be thrown away, when he pointed to a book and said, "What's that?" I told him it wasn't a book and just a journal that I'd written only 5 pages in. I opened it up to the front cover and I had written "This journal is dedicated to: Uncle Roger." My uncle Roger passed away in 1995; as a 7 year old, it was my first real experience with death. I loved him so much, and I loved our families together so much. We were the "Lindstrom girls" and our dads were the "camera men." I immediately decided it was worth keeping and maybe I should read a little more closely. So yesterday when I was sitting in my apartment going through boxes, I remembered this little journal. The first date I wrote down was in 1997, but the journal entry that caught my eye was in April of 2000. That would make me 11 and in the 6th grade at the time. I wrote a little poem. I even wrote a rough draft where I scratched words out and added words in and drew arrows from here to there; and then on the next page I had my final copy.

In Heaven With the Angels
One day up above,
in a place full of love
my Uncle was sitting beside me,
in a quiet place under the trees.
Confused was I at first,
But I knew this place was the best
not the worst.

I had a great feeling inside,
that someone would lead me, be my guide.
I knew all the time someone was at my side,
I knew this was a place where no one cried.

I knew this was the happiest place of all,
everyone was here because they answered the call.
To love and trust Jesus Christ,
Trust him with your heart, your soul, and your life.

The first place I remember now is the manger,
and I know now there are no strangers.
I hear the bells go jingle-jangle,
because I'm in Heaven with all of the Angels.