Memories

Sometimes favourite things and places I’ve enjoyed bubble up from my deep memory. Today I suddenly had a hankering for strong coffee served with a favourite treat right below the ramparts of this building. Sadly, it may be a very long time before I can get back there but I intend to one day.I could tell you where it is, I could describe this place in detail, perhaps I could even… well, maybe.Memories are special, aren’t they?This week I’ve been thinking about the awful illness, Alzheimer’s disease, that so brutally destroys mind and memory.Also on my mind has been Isaiah 40, especially from verse 20 on to the end of the chapter. Somehow the two thoughts met as I sat thinking about a favourite place far, far away whilst sipping coffee.Alzheimer’s disease primarily seems to affect those already weak and elderly. Just look at those words there in Isaiah 40! Speaking of God…He never grows weak or weary. (v28)He gives strength to the powerless (v29)And of course the last verse there, “Those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” (v31)Frailty, both of body and mind, prompts comments such as “shadow of their former selves” and “twilight years”. Knowing that and reading passages like this demands faith. The first half of the chapter sets out the resume of a really big God as if to make faith just that little bit more logical! Reading that helped but still, is it really possible? Is there hope? Certainly!