Put Arounds

It was late fall when one of my children got a blanket from inside the armoire.
As they pulled out the particular blanket they wanted, I heard laughter.
Well, look at that!
I guess I found the last egg!

Sure enough, hidden in the folds of the blanket was the last remaining plastic egg.
It was bright pink and it had defied any attempts at being found.
You see the indoor egg hunt was a tradition in their growing up years.
They always liked having egg hunts inside the house long after Easter had passed.

They would each hide the plastic eggs in interesting places.
They made sure that some were in spots where the youngest child could easily find them.
They made sure that other eggs were hidden so well they could only be found days later.
But months later, a whole season later, that was a new record.

The indoor egg hunt was simply done for the fun of it.
There was nothing inside the eggs that were hidden inside the house.
The game was more of a sleuthing expedition.
They knew the number of eggs they hid and the number of eggs they found.

That particular year, they had given up hope of ever finding the last remaining egg.
It was hidden so well that the one who did the hiding forgot where the last egg was hidden.
It was hidden so long that they actually forgot that one egg was never found.
The egg was lost until just the right blanket was pulled out of the armoire.

I thought about that last remaining egg the other day.
I thought about how something hidden can bring back so many memories when revealed.
Like the ornament box I received with the hand written note tucked inside to “Mama G.”
A name that was given to me years ago by a young girl and still remains to this day.

The special note that is found tucked inside of a book.
The handwritten recipe that was inserted inside of an old cookbook.
A bookmark, made by a child as a gift, that was found in a book you never finished.
The place cards designed by your kindergartner that are still in the dining room hutch.

Memories right where you left them.
Put away for safekeeping.
Still hidden away sometimes years later.
Found at just the right time.

A friend of mine died this past October.
She had a habit of placing things in random places.
She did that purposefully so that her family could find them at a later time.
Handwritten notes, bible verses, and small drawings all lovingly placed by her hand.

Put arounds she called them.
I like that name.
Put arounds.
Items that she randomly put around her house for her loved ones to find at various times.

One such put around was found after her death.
The little note card had one word: Jesus.
That is all it needed to say.
It was the perfect put around to find after she had gone Home to be with her Lord.

I remember seeing a picture of her precious put around soon after her death.
I was touched by its simplicity.
I was moved by its profundity.
Jesus is what she wanted her family to remember.

So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things. (2 Peter 1:12-15)

That is what my friend did.
She knew that she was dying and she wanted her family to remember these things.
The one thing she wanted them to remember above all else was Jesus, always Jesus.
Her whole life pointed to Him.

I like the idea of put arounds.
Think about how you can change the day for someone by one simple put around.
A simple, You can do it! note on the bathroom mirror.
A handwritten, I love you, tucked in a briefcase.

A colorful, You are special, written on a napkin and placed in a lunch box.
An encouraging, You are great, on a day when they feel just the opposite.
A Bible verse tucked inside their backpack on the day of a big test.
A reminder that Jesus loves them and you do, too, slipped underneath their door.

Put arounds.
Something that brightens their day.
More importantly, something that changes their focus.
Something that puts Jesus before them and helps them to remember.

What kind of put arounds can you hide in obscure places around your house?
What sort of meaning will they convey?
What if your put around was found months later?
What will others know about you through the put arounds that they find?

What will others know about Him?

Start a put around tradition.
You may never know the significance of the smallest thing in the life of another.
It matters.
It always matters.