The River that Flowed Through her Memories | Previous Challenge Entry

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TITLE: The River that Flowed Through her Memories | Previous Challenge Entry
By Mabel Pretorius
09/05/06
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The River that Flowed Through her Memories

Margaret couldn’t stop the memories as they came to mind in a stream. The childhood recollections were those of a young girl largely unaware of the world around her. She had been so very lacking in confidence of herself as a person. She had been raised to instant, unquestioning obedience and total acceptance of the authority that others held over her.

She had lived in a dream world where she participated in all the activities that she never dared to think that she was capable of attempting in real life.

The memories continued to flow like a river through her mind. She remembered the hurt when her mother had told her that Margaret’s brother was her favourite child. She also remembered herself as a young adult in the 1960’s and 1970’s, never quite believing that she was equal to other adults. She remembered how she had deliberately set out to improve her social skills so that she would fit in better with other young people and be accepted by them.

The next memory was deeply painful. That was when she fell pregnant and then gave her baby girl away so that she wouldn’t be branded “illegitimate” and could be raised by a couple who yearned for a baby of their own and would love her dearly.

Then Margaret’s thoughts flowed on to how her own mother had called her an “unnatural mother” for giving her baby away. Her mother had sent her flowers of condolence every year on her birthday because her baby had been born on that day. “In case you forget,” her mother had said…..hard to believe that she had really thought Margaret would ever forget! Many years later Margaret had tried to trace the baby, by then an adult. She hadn’t been able to find her though. She did find out, however. that the adoptive parents had kept the name Margaret had given her. Perhaps she’d chosen not to respond to the search.

So foolish, wasn’t it, that after so very many years, these memories could still be so clear.

The memories flowed on. There was no break between them and no stopping them...her marriage, the three lovely sons, the young women who became part of her sons’ lives, and then the grandchildren. She smiled tenderly at these memories. She’d been so blessed.

As she thought of her boys when they were children, she remembered that wonderful event when she discovered Jesus, discovered that He’d been there in her life even when she’d had no idea that He existed. He’d loved her even then, and had been watching over her all her life. In fact, He’d known her even when she was still forming in her mother’s womb! *

She felt as if it was the Water of Life, as clear as crystal that flowed from the throne of God and of the Lamb that was linking all these memories, the river on whose banks the tree of life grew that brought healing in its leaves.**

The pain was being washed away now. Margaret smiled in contentment as she knew she would see His face very soon now.

Now she was blessed by knowing that the River of Life would soon be visible to her and the source of it, Jesus Christ, was, right now, waiting to receive her. She sighed. It was a sigh of pleasure, for she knew that through Jesus’ blood shed on the cross for her, all those past mistakes, past sins, all confessed and repented, were washed away.

She no longer had breath to sigh again. Now! Now she was going to be with Jesus.

“I’m coming my Lord,” was her last thought..

* Psalm 139
** Rev 22.

624 words

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