“She was truthful when lying was the common speech of men; she was honest when honest was become a lost virtue; she was a keeper of promises when the keeping of a promise was expected of no one; … she was full of pity when a merciless cruelty was the rule; she was steadfast when stability was unknown, and honorable in an age which had forgotten what honor was; she was a rock of convictions in a time when men believed in nothing and scoffed at all things; she was unfailingly true in an age that was false to the core; … she was of a dauntless courage when hope and courage had perished in the hearts of her nation…” Mark Twain, Joan of Arc

A Gift to Remember

“Close your eyes,” my Mom said as she tucked a little cloth bag in my hand.

“Okay, you can open them now.”

I untied the pretty pink satin ribbons and out fell a beautiful medallion.

As my eyes misted, I looked at it closely.

“Oh! The St. Joan of Arc necklace,” I said. “Oh, Mom, this is stunning and means so much to me.”

“It kind of reminds me of a rosary,” she said.

“Definitely does. That’s interesting, isn’t it?” I said. “It will remind me of the courage we needed to get through everything last year.”

The words engraved on the back say it all: Face every trial with courage and strength.

You know our story. I’ve talked about it quite a bit over the last year, hoping that my story will help you have strength for your story.

Sitting in her lovely little “room” in her new Assisted Living room, we shared a snapshot of beauty. I will never forget that moment. She did this for me. Ordered it over the phone. Had it sent to her. I had nothing to do with it!

Learning from St. Joan of Arc

At a conference a few days later, I looked down and admired my beautiful new necklace.

I couldn’t resist taking it off and laying across the portion of scripture we were reading.

It seemed the perfect place to nestle my necklace for today’s snapshot.

Are you facing something that requires courage and strength?

If so, I pray that this snapshot gives you the encouragement you need to keep believing.

The same God that empowered St. Joan so many years ago is with you today.

Send your Snapshot of Beauty to janellrardon@gmail.com. I’ll do the rest!

 

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