The Measure

Have you read this book: The Measure? It was recently chosen by the book club at Christ Lutheran Church Zionsville. Although I rarely can attend, I do read the books they suggest monthly to broaden my thinking.

When I read a book, I tend to fall asleep, even though I love the feel of the book and the act of reading, Libby, the library’s free audiobook app, has become my best friend, and I now listen to most books. I listen as I drive, clean, scrapbook, etc. Like most TV shows and movies, afterwards I remember little about them - only if I enjoyed them or not.

Not so with the book The Measure by Nikki Erlick which has been in my head now for about a month since I finished it. It provokes the question: what makes life meaningful? It follows several characters as they wrestle with this question. The characters are what suck me into a book, show or movie. I thought the premise was a bit far-fetched when I started the book, but now it lingers in the recesses of my thoughts.

As I was at a four day scrapbook retreat last weekend, I thought, would I be scrapbooking if I knew I only had a few years left? My answer was an immediate yes! I want my family to remember our days. Seeing a picture vividly helps us recall things, and our memory is an amazing gift from God for the good events and the lousy ones. I don’t only scrapbook joyous times, well mostly, but also the difficult ones.

Since I was 12 and my sister started my scrapbooking adventure, I have had a real passion for recording my family’s days. I print lots of pictures. Some make it into the scrapbook and some get tossed. I do not save lose pictures except to add to birthday cards. I remember my dad and mother-in-law having boxes of pictures with no names on the backs or dates. I do not want that to happen to my pictures, moments in life and memories.

I was surprised the other day when I had a picture from Good Friday and took it to the Bible study. A younger member of the group asked to hold it and look at it. He said he thinks the last time he held a printed photo was 2004. My heart almost stopped. I was shocked, but I guess that is the way of the world today. It is better, or easier, to pay for storage on a phone than to put a picture in a photo album to relive the event at a later date. Whatever works. The memories are there either way.

Anyway, the book, back to the book The Measure. It’s a short, provocative book. Give it a read or listen to it. Maybe the question will linger with you, too: What would you do, or not do, if you knew the length of your life? Would you change anything if you were a “short-stringer”? Or, would a “long-string” give you permission to wait, to delay, and to put off what matters most? I’d love to hear your thoughts on the subject.