This book is entitled Memorial Stones because it is about remembering what God has done to and provided for my family as we followed His plan for our lives. In the Bible, I saw a chapter where the Israelites were finally able to live in the land promised to their forefathers many years before. As they crossed the river, each tribe was supposed to pick up a rock. Then when they arrived on the land on the other side, they built a memorial place to remember all that God has done in their lives. I wanted this imagery to have impact on this book. It really is filled with memories of my family life over the years.
When I was growing up, my mom would invite people, missionaries and preachers, to come to our house, and they would share all their experiences with us in story form. As we live, we see the places where God's answer comes through for us, and I began to repeat these stories. They were awesome to me to see them. They became "stones" of memory for me to repeat. They showed me the places where God was taking care of us in the different events in our lives. The stories I chose were the ones that stayed the longest. There are always things we remember when the whole family comes together. "Do you remember when...?" These are events inside the family. My parents are not with us here anymore, but I wanted to share my stories to those who might be encouraged by the events we have been through in our own lives. My grandchildren love stories, so they can read this book and see all the stories in their grandparents' lives. My faith is life within me. I do what I see is the right thing to do. I followed the Lord in good and bad experiences. I knew He is there. Sometimes, I couldn't see him, but I trusted him because I knew that he said he would never leave me or abandon me.