My March adventure came from one of my brothers and his family, “Make a time capsule and bury it in Mom & Dad’s backyard.” I wasn’t sure how I wanted to execute this adventure. What should I put in the capsule? How long until I open it again? What container should I put it in? Can I even bury it in my parents’ backyard?
I started thinking about the purpose of a time capsule and it reminded me of Stones of Remembrance. I’ve written a blog or two about this in the past (https://adventuresofasinglepretzel.wordpress.com/stones-of-remembrance). I love the meaning behind Stones of Remembrance: thus far has the Lord brought us. That’s when it dawned on me that time capsules are just a modern version of Stones of Remembrance.
With this realization, I had a better grasp on a time capsule but was still struggling with what to put into one. I talked with some of my nieces and nephews and they had great ideas. I also realized that this blog (going back over six years) and my many journals (going all the way back to the ’90s) are my own versions of time capsules.
I decided to split this month’s adventure into a few different phases.
Phase 1 – Ask my nieces and nephews to contribute to the time capsule. They were all excited to participate. They told me the different things they wanted to include. Some ideas were changed over time, but I’m excited to do this adventure with them.
Phase 2 – Read through my past blogs and journals and remember what the Lord has done in my life. Considering that my blog has more than 60 entries, and I’ve been keeping a journal for the better part of 20 years, there was a lot to review. However, I decided to focus mainly on my journals as I hadn’t read them recently. To narrow down the time frame, I decided to find each year’s date closest to the current date. It always surprises me the things that I’ve forgotten! It was bittersweet reading through the entries of when my granddad (Gramps) passed away nine years ago. Such grief in those entries, but the Lord tenderly carried me through.
Phase 3 – Write a letter to myself describing where the Lord currently has me, so that I can read it in 7-8 years when we open the capsule again. I actually really enjoyed this! I didn’t want it to be cliche in my letter. I wanted to be honest about where I am: the hopes, the dreams, the disappointments, and what I feel the Lord is saying and doing in my life. I hope that when I read it I can remember the way the Lord has loved me!
Phase 4 – Find a cute container to hold all these items and find a spot to keep it safe. I found a fake decorative box (see above picture) at my house and thought this would be the perfect time capsule! It should be able to hold all of the fun stuff from my family. And rather than burying it, I can keep it next to my jar of monthly adventures on my shelf.
I also found it interesting that my adventure for March was to focus on remembering as Easter falls the first weekend in April. Easter weekend is filled with remembrance of all the Lord has done for us. May we never forget to take the time to remember how the Lord has helped us!
He [Samuel] named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.”
1 Samuel 7:12b
Adventures of a Single Pretzel 