Last weekend my sister and I took a quick trip to Seattle to see family and attend a memorial for our Grandma Ries.

Rosemary’s story was often a mystery to us. I’ve been told her life was not an easy one. I’ve always wondered why she disliked and avoided having her picture taken. I feel like there are many unknowns that will never be discovered.

I took some time to write on the plane ride home to California, pausing to remember the good. God is in the business of redemption. He’s Repairer and Restorer. Sometimes we won’t get to see it this side of heaven. But sometimes, we do.

My childhood memories with my Grandma Rosemary are scattered and kind of complicated. I would see her at least once a year for our Ries Family Christmas, at Izzy’s Pizza or a family member’s home.

Sometimes we’d get an extra visit at our piano and dance recitals. Her private and quiet nature could be confusing for a child. We weren’t sure if she wanted us kids around. At the end of the day, I think we just wanted to make her proud. (And get a picture of her.)

In July of 2019, while living in Pennsylvania, my family of 6 took our first cross-country flight together to Washington. My beloved Grandpa Rice had passed away, and we went to visit family and attend his memorial.

While there, we got the opportunity to visit Rosemary. None of my kids could really remember her, and I wasn’t sure if we’d get another chance to see her. I was a bit nervous, taking four kids to see her. I didn’t know what to expect, and it had been quite a few years since I’d seen her.

In a moment, God rewrote the past. He gave me a new way to recall her, fresh memories to cover over the old ones.

She was overflowing with joy. Singing. Bubbly. Wanting to see all the kids. She loved kids. She was focused on them. There was a peace about her, a light and lightness I had never seen in her. It was like she had been freed from her past and was living fully in her present.

I didn’t know it would be the last time I’d see my Grandma Ries. But I’m so grateful that this is how I get to remember her.

My husband and I helped put a slideshow together for her memorial and I was pleasantly surprised at its length, that we were able to gather so many photos of her. There were similar smiles and highlights of happiness throughout her long, beautiful time on earth.

Lately I’ve been thinking about how God is the Ultimate Editor. He can take a detour or a fork in the road to make a way. He can use a misstep or mistake to change everything. In my own life I’ve seen his power at work. He can turn sin to blessing. He can make beauty from ashes. He can transform anything.

After all, He is the Author of our faith. The Perfect One who is perfecting us. He’s the source for our redemption; the repairer of broken walls and restorer of broken homes.

And yet, the devil tries to sneak on the scene and find a foothold. Whisper a lie. Use shame to rewrite our story. The story that’s already being turned to good by God, the one that’s covered in Jesus’s blood. Satan attempts to throw in an alternate ending, a deception or distraction to destroy, a scheme to get us off track.

But God. With Him, anything is possible. He takes what the enemy intended for evil and He turns it for good.

Sometimes we don’t get a new memory. In some seasons, grief and pain are our only companions; heartache and hurt are ever-present.

But sometimes, there’s time for a new chapter on this earth. Sometimes the narrative is redeemed and rewritten, and we’re overwhelmed with gratitude.

It’s my prayer that we help others heal and call out the good in them. That we reflect God’s grace and kindness. That we don’t write others off. That we learn their story and trust God to be Author and Perfecter.

There’s always room for restoration and new, loving memories.