Dust and Memory

I sometimes wonder what lies around the corner; what my future will hold. My life thus far, though it feels long and exciting, has been rather short and dull. I have done no great feats of nobility; I have written no majestic works of art; I have formed no worthy causes. I have simply lived as best I can, right where God has placed me. The most exciting thing of which I can boast is a trip to the Dominican Republic, where I did missions work in a small village.
I sit on my bed or on my couch and watch movies about people who lived such beautiful, heartbreaking lives; who broke the chains of poverty or prejudice and did great feats in the world and inspired multitudes of people; and who were chosen to go on life-changing quests that called for great strength and courage. I look at my life compared to those stories and think, “Wow. How boring is this?”
But, I suppose if you look close enough, my life is the complete opposite of boring. True, it does not have the elements of excitement, danger and adventure that are the crowd-drawing elements of epic movies; but, truthfully, that does not matter to me. I dream of a quiet life filled with love and meaning. I don’t hope to win the title of a PGA tour, or save the world, or feed a nation, but I do hope to do what good I can to those God has placed around me. I don’t plan to be swept off my feet by a charming English man in Italy, or fall in love with an “unsuitable” young man on a doomed boat, or be the inspiration driving a conquering king, but I do hope to meet a man who loves God and then me with all his heart, who I can spend the rest of my life with. I do, however, hold out a small hope to be a mother like I read about in books; you know, the wise, kind mothers who always know what to do and say.
I think I’m rather like Sam Gamgee, if I was like anyone in Lord of the Rings. Not in my bravery or loyalty, goodness no, but in my dreams. I would be completely happy to settle down in a small town, marry the person I love, and raise a bunch of wonderful children (including Joshua and Caleb and Chloe). Oh, and as a side-note, I’m kind of like Bilbo too… “I want to see mountains again, Gandalf! Mountains! And then find a quiet place where I can finish my book.”
So yes, we’ll see what the future holds! And then, at the end of it all, I’ll be at my Savior’s feet… and then all that happened in this life won’t matter, but will be the stuff of dust and memory, to be scattered to the wind and forgotten in the glorious presence of True Life.