Leaving Memories Behind

Back in 2005, God called me to Europe for a three month backpacking trip.  For me, it was a chance to really start a relationship with Him – to place my full trust in Him and simply believe that He would take care of me.  Of course, that’s exactly what He did.  Before I left, I purchased two pairs of shorts to take with me.  It was summertime, and so for the majority of the trip I could be seen wearing them.

The side pockets were big enough to hold an entire guide book, and in the back pocket I could fit a 1.5L bottle of water.  The other pockets could carry countless tissues and paper towels, as well as all the change I would accumulate.  Those shorts carried my maps, my gum, train tickets, information, and often times even my lunch.  It was easy to keep my camera and sunglasses close to my side.  I had no idea when they were purchased just how useful they would be.

My shorts shared every experience with me.  Walking the sun-baked streets of Rome, mountain climbing in Switzerland, all the night trains all over Europe.  I think my heart broke a little when I ripped one of the pockets in Munich.  We created all these memories together!

These same pairs of shorts went with me on every future trip, and there was no question that I would bring them along on the World Race as well.  Even at the beginning of this year, however, they were looking a little worse for wear.  They’d collected a few holes over the last few years, and I suppose they’d lost a bit of their luster.  Even so, I love those shorts.  Other people didn’t understand, but we’d been so many places together!

This year was not kind to those shorts, though.  Every month they picked up a nice new rip or a new stain from something we’d done.  Climbing waterfalls, staining a church, snagging them on a sharp object…it was terrible!  I even managed to split both pairs in the back, from top to bottom.  No matter what happened though, I would pull out the needle and thread (I didn’t bring any, so I always had to borrow from others) and sew them back up.  There were even times where other racers would help me mend them.  Both pairs of shorts died several times, but I always brought them back to life.  There was no way I could let my oldest travel companions die!

When we got to Europe and the weather started to become cold, I began to wonder when the end would come.  I could often be seen with a warm hoodie but still wearing those shorts.  In fact, I went well into October before it just simply got too cold to keep wearing them.  I know the University students in the Ukraine thought I was crazy.  My shorts were finished, though…they had been mortally wounded and just couldn’t be worn anymore.  I knew it didn’t make sense to keep carrying them around, so I knew it was time to part ways.

Sure, all this sounds silly to you, but I once again thought about all the memories I had with these pairs of shorts, and all they had done for me.  It was hard to let go!  On our last day in Odessa though, I said my goodbyes and left them behind.  I’m pretty sure I sulked the rest of that day, but I could also see that God wanted me to learn an important lesson.

Even though I threw those shorts away, the memories stayed with me.  I still have all of them right here in my heart.  I still remember all the crazy experiences I’ve had, and all the things I was able to do.  We’ve had to say goodbye to a lot of people and a lot of things this year, and it’s been very tough for me each time.  I get flat out miserable when it’s time to say goodbye, and it’s a painful experience.  I realized though that although I leave a piece of my heart at each place, I get to take all the wonderful memories with me.

As the race comes to an end, I really have countless memories that I’ve experienced and written about over the year.  All those memories will always have a special place in my heart, and I can see how they have changed and influenced me.  It blows my mind to see all that God has done this year, and I see how important it is to keep those things close to my heart in order to continue to grow into who God wants me to be.  This is one chapter of many, and I know that God has many more memories for me.  I can’t wait to see what those are.