I admit it–I’m very sentimental and nostalgic. I keep some important newspapers so my kids can have them one day. In my storage unit, I have boxes of my kids’ old school papers. I have a terrible time throwing away old t-shirts. I can’t part with some of the shirts and ties my dad wore. And I have over 25 years of journals I’ll one day pass down to my children along with the Bibles I’ve read and written in.

I want my children and grandchildren and great-children to know me. And I want to know them. Sadly, I know very little about my own grandparents. I never knew my grandparents on my dad’s side–my grandmother died before I was born and my grandfather died when I was too young to know him. On my mom’s side, I knew my grandmother and a step-grandfather. But now I wish I’d know them better.

I have four children. Two are married. No grandchildren yet. If grandchildren come along in the next few years, then it’s certainly possible that within 30 years, I could be a great-grandfather. If I’m still around. In 30 years, I’ll be 78. My dad only made it to 72.

It’s unlikely that I’ll ever know my great-great grandchildren or that they’ll ever know me. I’d be closing in on 90 to 100. Not many people live that long. Of course, if my journals, books, pictures, videos and blog posts survive–they’ll at least know about me.

They just won’t know about my childhood, my high school years, what college was like for me or how I met my wife. I won’t be around for them to ask questions about those kinds of things. If they’d even be interested.

Unfortunately, we don’t seem to be interested in our parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, etc. until it’s too late. Not long before he died, I asked my dad to write down some memories from earlier in his life. A time before I was born. Because he was ill, it was difficult for him to write, but he did manage to fill about seven pages from a yellow legal pad.

He always like writing on those. When I was a kid, he would sit at the kitchen table and chart out long trips. In the days before Google, Mapquest and GPS devices, planning a vacation was done with a paper map and a legal pad.

There’s a lot I’d like to ask my dad, but he’s been gone for over six years now. I’d like to talk to my mom, too, but she’s been gone for over 15 years. I’d like to know more about their childhood and teen years. I’d like to hear more of my dad’s football stories. I think he intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown in his first college game.

I’d like to know more about their early years of marriage when they lived in Tarreytown, New York where my dad was a teacher and football coach. I remember my dad telling me he was making $3,500 a year as a teacher and figured if he could just make $5,000 a year, he’d have it made.

It’s too late for me to talk to my dad, but it wasn’t too late for a guy named Lamech to talk to his great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather. I don’t know if he did, but it would have at least been possible. They were alive at the same time.

So who was Lamech? He was Noah’s father. Yup, that Noah.

And who was his great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather?

Adam.

Yes, Adam. The first man. He lived to be 930 and was still alive when Lamech was born.

I wonder what it was like for Adam and Eve. To be honest, I rarely think about them beyond the garden of Eden. After they sinned, they were expelled from the garden, but I don’t give much thought to what life was like for them after that.

Of course, we don’t even know how long Eve lived, but let’s say she lived to be 600 years old. That means they were married for 600 years. You’d get to know a person pretty well after six centuries together.

Do you think they ever reminisced about the days before they sinned? Did they go for long walks and talk about those days of living in the garden?

How much does your memory fade after hundreds and hundreds of years? Did the days of walking with God before the temptation feel like another lifetime? Were some of the details fuzzy or was the garden experience so incredible that they never forgot any of it?

They walked with God in the garden. Just like we will when God makes all things new and restores the earth to His original design. We’ll walk with Him like they did.

Do you think Adam and Eve forgot what God looked like? What His voice sounded like?

I don’t know how many people were on earth by the time Lamech was born, but it was a lot. So it’s doubtful if Adam (and Eve, if she was alive) even knew he was born. I mean, they couldn’t keep up with everyone. The whole world was related to them.

I wonder if Lamech was aware of Adam though. Were people even aware that Adam was still alive?

You know how it is when we see someone famous. We whisper. We point. Some of us try to meet them. Were Adam and Eve famous? Was it big news when they died? Or did no one really care?

How long did it take before everyone forgot they were related to one another? Maybe being related doesn’t even matter much. Cain killed Abel. The first two brothers couldn’t even get along. Same thing after the flood–how long until the children of Shem, Ham and Japheth started hating each other?

Do you think Adam and Eve blamed themselves for the evil in the world? Did they struggle with guilt?

I can imagine Adam and Eve lying quietly in bed together at the age of 500 and Eve whispering in the dark, “If only I hadn’t listened to his lies.”

Adam sighs. After a moment he replies, “I know. Why didn’t I stop him? Why didn’t I say anything?”

Then they drift off to sleep. In silence. Wondering what might have been.

I wonder how often they had to remind each other of God’s love and grace and forgiveness?

I wonder how often we should remind each other.

And I wonder who we need to get to know better. Before it’s too late.

I told you I’m sentimental and nostalgic.

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This week, I released the devotional: I Believe God: a 40 day adventure. The price is only $2.99 and is available in multiple formats. If you’d like the Amazon Kindle edition, it’s here.