There are initials carved in the bark of tree trunks around the world. Many are encased in a heart to signify “I Love You”; or, perhaps to memorialize a special moment in time. I wonder if Adam and Eve chiseled their initials into the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden to celebrate their divinely created partnership as man and woman. I would like to believe it was a tradition started at the beginning of time.

We may never know, but in our life journey there will be names we forever embed in our hearts and when those love ones depart this world, we look for ways to keep their spirit alive. We plant trees, place memorial benches, obtain a remembrance tattoo or set up a scholarship fund in their name. They may be gone, but we don’t want them to be forgotten.

Here today, gone tomorrow.

In the blink of an eye, the opportunity to carve a heart around the initials of a loved one’s tree trunk of life can be forever gone. Any hope of captured memories end as we regretfully reminisce about the times we were gifted an opportunity to carve our initials into the heart of a loved one; but didn’t.

A nine-year old in our community recently attained their heavenly wings.

Thankfully, the parents and family had taken the time to engrave and carve memories in their heart of this loved one. The carvings may not have been on the trunk of a tree, but they are forever embedded in their soul, heart and spirit in ways never imagined until death happened.

In times of great loss, we seek to wrap our hearts around Jesus. The knowledge that HIS initials are carved in the soul of a lost loved one brings us comfort. It helps us to breathe and move forward in the aftermath of grief.

Did you know?

Each of us are gifted a seedling of life engraved with the name of Jesus. That seed is surrounded by a heart of grace and purposed to grow and take root. Sometimes, no matter how much we have nurtured that tree, unforeseen storms of life uproot it because we live in an imperfect world. When it does, we seek to recall the many ways that person touched our life and hopefully to find comfort in knowing their initials are embedded in our heart.

Is the tree trunk of your life emblazed with carved initials, hearts and love arrows?

If not, you may want to reconsider the memories you are accumulating with your loved ones. Life is made up of a collection of moments that are not ours to keep unless we have taken time to engrave them on our heart. In death, will we have chosen to appreciate those we love ‘now’ or waited until it was ‘too late’?

Take time to consider what is being carved in the tree trunk of life by you and your loved ones.