Something I recently read made me begin to look at some of the things in my home in a totally different manner.

I really haven’t considered how much something old or antique is worth as much as where it came from and all the many memories associated with the item.

For example, in my living room is a rocking chair my aunt gave to me. When my daughter was born many years ago I would sit on the edge of the bed and sway back and forth. One day my aunt and uncle were visiting and she asked if I had a rocking chair. I answered that I didn’t.

Not too many weeks after that, they arrived for another visit with this rocking chair in the trunk of their auto. It was old and it was a bit weathered, but it served to soothe both of my children and rocked many others to sleep.

It was at one time antiqued a dull green color, and still later stripped and refinished and now resides in my living room. Each time I look at it, I find myself remembering the day it arrived and it took a place in my memory bank. Today it sits in front of a cuckoo clock and is a favorite chair to rock little great grandchildren in while we wait for that little bird to pop out and announce the hour.

There is another chair in that room that is one of the very ancient recliner chairs that belonged first to my grandfather, then my mother and dad, and finally me. It, too, holds many memories.

There is a bowl that sits on a server in my dining room that came from my mother who had received it as a gift from her aunt many, many years ago.

Why am I sharing this with you? Well because what I read made me look at all these items in a vastly different manner.

Yes, I love each and every one because of the memories and the love they evoke in me.

But I also look at them and marvel at their age and how they have lasted through generations of people and are still both beautiful and serviceable.

Now, I guess I’ve finally arrived at the point of this whole article.

While reading I read of a woman who treasured a little chair someone had made for her as a child. She still had the chair and now her grandchildren were enjoying sitting on it. But, she remarked that while she knew who had built the chair, she really didn’t ever know that individual.

Her question became, is it the ‘things’ we value or the fact that they have ‘lasted’.

This question then changes the whole concept. Could we begin to focus on what truly ‘lasts’ in life.

If we were to do that, what would we be thinking about? I don’t think it would be chairs and bowls however treasured they might be.

Wouldn’t we be thinking about the people who have blessed our lives through the years?

I will never know who built my chairs or who designed and created the lovely bowl that holds center stage on my server. But I do know they must have been skilled and very capable of their craft. And I would like to believe that while I don’t have their skills, I try to use my abilities and maybe, just maybe, someone will remember something I leave behind.

If I were to focus on what truly lasts, I would begin to look beyond things and look at the people in my life. First, I would think of my parents, grandparents, and other relatives. I’m sure a teacher or two would be included in this list. Long-term friendships with neighbors and others who have blessed my life are treasured. And, yes, all the international friends I have made through the years are also valued and many of these relationships have lasted and remain strong after years have passed.

For some of you, you will remember individuals who you met while you served in the armed forces. Some of these friendships have lasted through the years because of your shared experiences.

Could it be an individual you worked with who might have helped to mold the person you have become?

I’d like to believe that I am who I am because of my family and the friends who have blessed my life.

But if I were to consider the one thing that truly ‘lasts’ in my life, it would be ‘God’.

Yes, the people in my life have molded and shaped my life. But people, even those we love most deeply, come and go. But God is always there.

Change comes. Things that were so important don’t seem as important. Loved ones take priority over ‘things’.

However, the one thing that will never change should be our trust and faith in a God who is the same today, tomorrow and always. He is there in the good times and the bad. He is there in times of plenty and times of want. He is with us when we make mistakes and forgives us and gives us still another chance.

If you and I are to build a life on something that lasts, perhaps first and foremost our focus should be on God. And then, perhaps, whatever is in our lives, changes our lives, we will still have a foundation that never crumbles. We may grow weak but God is strong and upon His promises we can rest. God will ‘last’ and that we can trust now and forever.