Such a nice guy!

Posted on August 6, 2008 by Barbara Harper

Monday night, I was sitting at my husband, Jim’s, desk while talking to him on the phone. Jeremy came through and let me know he was going to Chick-Fil-A to get some cheesecake for dessert and asked me if I wanted anything. I really had a hankering for McDonald’s chocolate chip cookies — $1.09 for a pack of three, and wonderful when they’re soft and fresh. It’s not too terribly far from Chick-Fil-A, so, not wanting to interrupt my conversation with Jim, I wrote Jeremy a little note asking if he’d mind getting the cookies. He signaled that he would, then later in the evening I enjoyed my delicious treat.

Jim worked from home Tuesday and left for a little while in the morning to check in with his mom. When he came home he walked in and handed me some McDonald’s cookies. I was thoroughly confused. He said, “You look surprised.”

I replied, “I am!”

He said, “Well, you left a note on my desk…”

Then I burst out laughing and explained about writing to Jeremy last night. I must have accidentally left it there.

Jim said he woke up this morning at around 4:30 not feeling well, and went to his desk and saw my note. He thought to himself, “Well, I’m certainly not going right now!”

It’s a wonder he didn’t say to himself, “What are you thinking, woman?!”

Maybe he did.

But I did enjoy my second batch of cookies!

Show and Tell Friday: Grandma’s albums

Posted on July 25, 2008 by Barbara Harper

Kelli at There’s No Place Like Home hosts “Show and Tell Friday” asking “Do you have a something special to share with us? It could be a trinket from grade school, a piece of jewelry, an antique find. Your show and tell can be old or new. Use your imagination and dig through those old boxes in your closet if you have to! Feel free to share pictures and if there’s a story behind your special something, that’s even better! If you would like to join in, all you have to do is post your “Show and Tell” on your blog, copy the post link, come over here and add it to Mr. Linky. Guidelines are here.

My mother-in-law, at the age of 80, has tons of pictures, but there are three albums that are exceptionally special.

One is a scrapbook my nieces made when my in-laws celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary several years ago. I didn’t take a picture of the outside of it, as it is just a plain blue scrapbook on the outside. But on the inside there are multitudes of pictures of the various family members and a few close friends who gathered together for that special occasion.

This is my husband, his parents, and his siblings then:

They also passed out a piece of decorative paper to everyone who attended and asked them to write a little something about what Jim’s parents meant to them or congratulating them, etc. My children were — I think ages 3, 9, and 12 — and here are their entries:

The second album is one my husband put together after his dad’s funeral. His dad had an added-on room at the back of the house that they called his “smoke room.” He never was able to kick his smoking habit, but he took it outside, which, of course, can be quite cold in the winter in ID. So this room had a small wood-burning stove, big flannel jackets on nails, a TV, his tools, and various odds and ends. A lot of times early in the mornings or later in the evenings, he could be found out there, and a lot of times the family members gathered out there. My husband took pictures of that room while he was there for the funeral, knowing that someday it would probably be cleaned out or rearranged or just otherwise different, and he wanted to remember it just as it was. He also took pictures of the various family members who were able to come and a few discreet pictures at the funeral (not the part in the church, but at the graveside). All of that seemed too personal to share here, but I did want to share one picture from the funeral that shows two veterans saluting the coffin:

That almost brings tears to my eyes every time I see it.

The final album is another one our nieces made, this time for my mother-in-law’s 80th birthday just before she moved here in July. It was the first time since the funeral in 2002, I think, that all four kids were together.

Her birthday cards were inserted in the back pages.

These albums have become her treasures, and it is special to go back and look through them.

Some of the other things her daughter has sent here from ID are several pictures. We’ll have to figure out which to hang up in her room and which to take out of frames and put into albums, but I’ve enjoyed discovering some of the older ones, like this one of Jim’s Mom — I’m guessing maybe in her 20s.

And this one of his parents I think during their dating days.

Don’t they look like they’re right out of a 40s movie?

Thanks for having a look at these special albums and scrapbooks with me. I’m sorry the pictures aren’t the best quality — I was having trouble with the lighting in the room and the flash with the lights off being too bright, but the pictures without them aren’t terribly clear.

You can find or share more treasures at the site of our hostess, Kelli, at There’s No Place Like Home.

Show and Tell Friday: Grandma’s Things

Posted on July 18, 2008 by Barbara Harper

As many of you know, my mother-in-law just moved here to SC from ID and now lives in an assisted living facility just a few minutes from us. Since Mom was limited in how much could be carried on the plane, my sister-in-law has been sending us a few boxes at a time of Mom’s things.

One of the first boxes to arrive contained one of my all-time favorite pictures of my father-in-law, the flag from his funeral, and his VFW hat with several pins. My husband and youngest son put them together in my mother-in-law’s room like this:

I thought that made such a nice little vignette and added a touch of home to her room. It was her idea to put the cap on the picture frame like that — a nice touch!

Here are a few close-ups of some of the items:

I don’t know who put the medals in the case with the flag, but I thought it was a good idea.

Also in the package, among other things, was this little cross-stitched piece I did for Jim’s mom several years ago:

And this is my work-in-progress for her room, almost done. All that is left is a little border.

I wanted to persevere and finish it tonight, but it was after 11 p.m. when I got to this stage and I felt I’d better lay it aside — when I work on things like this too late I tend to make more mistakes. Yellow is her favorite color. I am thinking of making one for myself in shades of pink. 🙂 It’s small — maybe 4 x 5 inches — so I thought I’d have it whipped up in a week or so, but it’s talking longer. The shape is a little warped from being stretched in the hoop. but it will straighten out when it is washed and pressed.

You can go to Kelli’s to see more Show and Tell partcipants.

Thursday Thirteen: Books I read to my children

Posted on July 16, 2008 by Barbara Harper

When I made up my book meme a couple of weeks ago, one of the questions I asked concerned book we may have read to our children. I found so many others books that I had forgotten about mentioned in other people’s answers that I decided to focus a Thursday Thirteen on books I enjoyed reading to my children.

1. The Little Engine That Could.

2. Gus the Bus. This appears to be out of print not, but it’s one my kids loved reading over and over even after we had to tape it together. It’s about a dutiful school bus whose tires one day get too much air in them, which sends him through meadows chasing horses and such while all the kids are in school. When the bus driver finally finds him, discovers the problem, and brings him back, He goes back to his routine, but with a little smile and a daisy stuck next to his mirror.

3. Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear? by Nancy White Carlstrom as well as others in the Jesse Bear series. Sweet stories, lovely art work.

4. Dr. Seuss, especially, of course, the perennial favorites The Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham.

5. Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey.

6. Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey.

7. Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie by Peter Roop. This was one of my favorites, about a girl who has to keep the lighthouse lamps burning when her father is delayed from getting back home due to a storm.

8. P. D. Eastman. books, especially Go, Dog, Go, and Are You My Mother?

9. The Puppy Who Wanted a Boy by Jane Thayer.

10. Golden Books, especially The Poky Little Puppy, The Little Red Caboose, Scuffy the Tugboat.

11. Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton.

12. Arch books, but I was choosy with those. I don’t like Bible story books that are flippant or where the characters are drawn in a cartoonish way. I wanted my children to respect those stories and to differentiate between them and other stories.

13. The Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes by Kenneth N. Taylor or one like this.

We read multitudes of books when they were younger, but these are the standout favorites that come to mind. As they got older they liked Encyclopedia Brown by Donald J. Sobol and Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett and Ron Barrett and others.

I can’t wait to read some of these to my grandkids some day!

You can visit other Thursday Thirteeners here.

(Graphic Courtesy of Grandma’s Graphics.)

A mother’s nightly ritual

Posted on July 13, 2008 by Barbara Harper

Mother’s Little Angel

by Norman Rockwell

Courtesy of imagekind

I inadvertently began a nightly ritual when my firstborn son was a baby which has continued with some changes to this day. Before going to bed for the night, I would check on him to make sure everything was all right, watch the rise and fall of his chest for a few moments, perhaps even lay a hand on his back or chest to reassure myself he was breathing and he was all right. I expanded my rounds with each new child. As they grew, I would smile at their tousled hair and and relaxed sprawl and pull the covers back up to their shoulders.

Some time during the teen years they began closing their bedroom doors at night, but there was still a settled feeling knowing everyone was home, safely tucked in for the night. When they became active in their youth group or started working outside the home, I don’t think I ever went to bed before they came home. I may have fallen asleep on the couch, but I couldn’t rest easily until I heard them come in.

But the days came and then multiplied when they didn’t come home for the night, and passing by their empty bedrooms caused a bit of a pang to the heart. First sleepovers for a night, then camp for a week, then mission trips with the youth group for several days more, then working away from home for a whole summer, then going to college for a whole semester. The day will come when they will have their own homes, and these beds will remain empty except for brief visits. I’ll no longer be able to check on them at night or to know that they are safely tucked in, or to go to bed with that settled feeling that all is well for another night.

But I can entrust them to the One who never sleeps, who watched over the wandering Jacob when he left his home and guided him on his way. They will be beyond my sight and care, but never His. His power to keep both body and soul has always been beyond mine, but whereas for over two decades I have been able to watch over them and see that they are fine, soon I will have to walk by faith and not by sight in this aspect of life as well as all others.

And so my nightly ritual will change. Instead of going room by room in my house until I am settled in my own, I can pray for each child in my heart, trusting Him to keep a watchful, loving eye on us all.

(Updated to add: I put these thoughts in poem form here.)

“Why am I still here?”

Posted on July 5, 2008 by Barbara Harper

Last night Jim’s mom was thinking back through all the people in her life who had passed on — parents, husband, sister, cousins — and wondering why the Lord left her here. I tried to reassure her that if God had her here, He had a purpose for her. She grinned and said, “To be an example in suffering?” Then she reassured me that though she had had some tough spots in her life, she wasn’t really suffering, especially as compared to some others.

The conversation reminded me of an article years ago in Frontline magazine called “A Psalm for Old Age” by Esther Talbert. We knew the Talberts: we attended church with them for several years before we moved out of state. Esther’s mother-in-law, Jean, had been one of the sweetest, merriest hearts I had ever known. Then she got Alzheimer’s, and it was so sad to see her standing away from everyone looking confused and uncertain. She was one whose situation caused me to wonder why the Lord let some of His children go through such things instead of taking them on Home. Part of Esther’s article addresses that:

Verse 18 of Psalm 71 says, “Now also when I am old and greyheaded, O God, forsake me not, until I have showed Thy strength unto this generation, and Thy power to every one that is to come.” As a nursing instructor cherished by her students (of whom I was one), Mom imparted to her young charges far more than nursing skills. To many she was a surrogate mother and spiritual counselor who showed the strength and sweetness, the love and faithfulness of the Lord. Now God is using her to show His strength and power—perfected through weakness—to my husband and me.

There is a reason God leaves the elderly and infirm among us, and it is often not for their benefit but for ours. If we are not too busy and self-absorbed, we may learn the qualities of Christ that we lack and that He desires to mold in us, the transformation of character He intends to accomplish in us, by confronting us with their presence and needs. By the time something like Alzheimer’s strikes, God is about done with His earthly work in someone like Mom. “Why, then, does He leave someone to linger like that?” we wonder. His earthly work in Mom is done, but much of His earthly work in us and others, through Mom, is just beginning. He strengthens us daily to love and care for her. In the gentle rebuke of His mercy, He is molding and changing us—revealing our selfishness, unfolding His fifth commandment in new ways. Only as I myself am moldable will God’s power, in my turn, shine through me to “this generation and . . . to every one that is to come.”

Romans 8:17-18 says, “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” Some day that glory will outshine everything else, even the trials of this life that loomed so large at the time.

Moved in!

Posted on July 3, 2008 by Barbara Harper

We got Jim’s mom moved in to her new place. I have just been amazed at how smoothly things have gone this week. She has always been reticent about meeting people, but she was laughing and joking with the staff, and at dinner she chatted during the whole meal with another lady. She has been in a great frame of mind.

When we left just before dinner time, I told Jim I felt a little like I did taking my kids to school their first day.

Every prayer and every concern has been marvelously answered, and one more concern I have is that she might wake up in the night or in the morning confused. Most of us have experienced that when in a new place, but of course it’s more pronounced when you’re 80. Jim had a great idea to make up a sign for her bedside table saying, “Welcome to (name of the place she’s in), your new home,” so she’ll see it and be reminded of where she is, so we did that. If you think of it, I’d appreciated prayer that she would have a good night and not get confused or upset about being confused.

We’re very tired! But it has been a good day.

New adventures…

Posted on July 2, 2008 by Barbara Harper

On the second leg of the flight back to SC, my husband and his mother had a conversation that went something like this:

Mom: I think I’ll only stay about a week.

Jim: We’ll talk about it later.

Mom: When does Jason go to California? Oh, that’s right, he left already. That’s too bad. He could have taken me back with him.

Jim: We’ll talk about it later.

Then when they got to NC and found the car to drive the last leg to SC, the conversation continued:

Jim: Mom, remember your last Sunday at church, people gave you a lot of cards?

Mom: Yeah.

Jim: Why did they do that?

Mom: (Thinking…) Oh…because I am moving to South Carolina.

But after a good night’s sleep, she remembered and has been asking questions about the new place and seems okay with it. She does tend to get confused when she is tired or nervous — like this morning, getting ready to go to the doctor’s office, she thought she was getting ready to move into the assisted living facility. But most of the time she’s pretty clear.

I’m finding that it is better to say, “Here, let me help” or to just jump in rather than asking, “Do you want me to help you?” If I ask if she wants help, she’ll usually say no, at least at first. She has this mentality of not wanting to be a “pest.” She had a little sore on her ear from wearing her hearing aid more than she’s used to and said when she first got it, the doctor told her to bring it back in if it wasn’t fitting right, but she never did, because she “didn’t want to be a pest.” We tried to get across that asking for the help you need (as well as, in that instance, getting what you paid for) isn’t being a pest. (Jim already had scheduled an appointment with the ear doctor tomorrow, so hopefully we can at least adjust the fit, and maybe see if new aids are needed.)

On the other hand, especially with personal issues, sometimes it is best to let them do things on their own even if it takes a while or is awkward so they can maintain some level of dignity and independence. It’s hard to know sometimes when to jump in and when to stand back, but, thankfully, she is not easily offended.

One of the memories I am most ashamed of happened the last time she was here. I walked into the kitchen to find her trying to open a box of cereal, but the box had already been opened, and she had it upside down. Trying to avert disaster, I dashed over and grabbed the box and turned it right-side up. But I felt bad about that: sweeping cereal off the floor isn’t that big of a disaster, and I shouldn’t have made her feel like a child. She didn’t act offended, but, still, care of her as a person is more important than efficiency.

I have learned from my own hospitalizations and ailments that, when you need assistance in ways that you would have otherwise been horrified at the thought of beforehand, it helps when the people helping are just matter-of-fact about it, acting the same as if they’re doing something more mundane. My husband is a master at that, and I have so appreciated it. He’s a cheerful and thoughtful caretaker. So I am trying to be the same way in any help I give.

I have often said I want to live to be 100, and right now I still do, but I am learning through my mother-in-law’s experiences as well as my own signs of aging that old age certainly has its problems! I am thankful God promises that “And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you” (Isaiah 46:4).

Psalm 71:8-9: Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honour all the day. Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth.

Psalm 92:12-15: The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing; To shew that the LORD is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

Caring for elderly parents

Posted on July 1, 2008 by Barbara Harper

I mentioned a while back that my mother-in-law is moving here to SC from Idaho. Well, the time has come: she arrived Monday night. My husband flew up to travel back with her. His other brothers, a new sister-in-law, and two nieces also traveled up from other states, so, with the sister who already lived there, they had a bit of a mini-reunion.

Jim was concerned about the logistics of getting her to the airport, handling his luggage and hers, and getting the rental car back without having to leave her somewhere while he took care of things — she doesn’t have Alzheimer’s, but she can get confused in unfamiliar situations or when she is nervous. (The other relatives didn’t come with them to the airport because we fly in and out of an airport about two hours away and rent a car to drive home. Her little town does have an airport, but it’s exorbitantly expensive to fly to it.) Jeremy and I prayed specifically about that at lunch time, and Jim called me later and let me know that someone from Hertz offered to take care of the car for him and bring him the receipt; an airline employee took the luggage on an elevator for them and told them the wheelchairs were at the top of the escalator (she doesn’t usually use a wheelchair, but would have had a hard time walking the distances you have to in airports); a skycap wheeled her straight to the front of the line. Jim had allowed about an hour to take care of all of that and get through security, but it only took half an hour. We were so thankful that that all went smoothly!

She seems to be doing ok — she got a little teary saying good-bye, understandably. I just can’t imagine this week for her: saying good-bye to the area she has lived for 35 years, to the family on that side of the country (we’re the only ones on this side), to her dog, traveling across the country, and now facing a new living situation. I’ve been praying for God’s grace for her during this whole transition process. If you think of it, I’d appreciate your prayers for her and for us. As I mentioned in that earlier post, this is going to be a new situation for all of us.

I have found that when I tell people my mother-in-law is moving here, they smile and say something like, “Oh, that’s nice!” But when I say she will be living in an assisted living facility, their smile drops somewhat and they look a little uncertain.

I know some folks have the mindset that they’ll never put a loved one in a home. I probably felt that way myself at one time. But two things changed my thinking. One was the assisted living facility my grandmother was in. It was more like an apartment complex for older people with medical staff on the premises. She enjoyed living there and having a certain amount of independence while still having care close by when needed. It was hardly being “put away in a home” at all. Then, my grandfather had been living with his daughter, my mother’s sister. She worked full time, so he was home alone in the day time. He didn’t eat right, didn’t take his medications regularly, didn’t do a lot. After he had a series of small strokes, he went into the hospital. Some specification with his insurance or Medicare would only allow him to remain in the hospital a certain number of days: after that he had to go into a nursing home. My mom and her siblings stood around his bed and cried. But none of them was in a position to give him the care he needed. As it turned out, when the time came that he could have gone home, he decided to stay. He found eating three regular meals did help, and he enjoyed someone else providing them (many older people don’t like to cook for just themselves.) His medications were dispensed; he met people and had activities that were stimulating. He loved it and lived there several years until he passed away.

Though family members do have responsibility to see that their loved ones are cared for, there is no one right way to go about it. When a family has to make these kinds of decisions, there are several factors that come into play:

1. Housing situation. Not everyone has the space to include a new adult addition, or the house might not be conducive to someone with physical problems. Though Mom is only staying with us a few days until she moves into her new home, we’re concerned about her dealing with the steps. But this was one factor in deciding on assisted living care. We could move to a house that is all on one level if need be, but that takes time.

2. Availability of other family members. This is one of the reasons she moved here: much of the rest of the family was moving away from her area. I’m the only daughter-in-law who isn’t working outside the home.

3. Finances.

4. Mental ability. If the elderly parent has Alzheimer’s or mental confusion, someone would need to stay with them all the time, and even a family with a stay-at-home member might not be able to manage that between errands, school obligations if there are school-aged children in the house, etc. I know some handle this by hiring someone to stay with the elderly parent a certain amount of time each week.

5. Level of care needed. There might be some situations in which the older person needs physical or medical care that can’t be given at home.

6. Relationships. Some older people will always see their adult child as a child, and won’t follow instructions about medical care (e.g., medicines), food, etc., but they would take such instruction from medical personnel in an assisted living situation.

7. Personalities. We might be loathe to admit this and we might think that every family relationship should amicable, but in real life that is just not the case. Some relationships prosper with a little bit of space for each party. Privacy doesn’t allow me to disclose anything about situations I know of personally, but it is definitely a factor (by the way, this isn’t a factor with my mother-in-law. She is pretty easy to get along with).

8. Safety. Particularly Alzheimer’s or some forms of dementia in advanced stages may cause some patients to physically strike their caregivers when frustrated even if the patient would never have done that in ealrier years.

9. Socialization. I almost hate to even use that word because I know it is leveled as an unfair charge against home-schoolers has been a lack of socialization, and most of them get plenty of social interaction and don’t really need to be put into a classroom of people the same age to get it. But this is one of our concerns with my mother-in-law. If she lived with us, we would be her whole world — she wouldn’t feel the need to or have the desire to interact with others besides surface greetings at church. As we have talked with the staff at the assisted living facility, we feel this is an area in which she could benefit. Not only would she have the mental stimulation of interacting with others and participating in the activities there, but it might encourage her to know there are others who are going through the same things she is.

10. Independence. It might seem odd to list this as a factor when a person going into assisted living seems to be giving up their independence. But in such a facility they actually do get to make their own decisions and schedules and have their own living space. Some would feel that if they lived with their children they would be an imposition (even if the family is glad to have them), and they are more comfortable being on their own as much as they can be.

Not all of these reasons are factors for my mother-in-law, but they have been with friends dealing with elderly relatives. As we prayed and discussed the situation with the rest of the family over the past several years, we felt this was the best solution. We know to expect an adjustment period, but if she truly hates it or has a terrible experience, we’ll have to seek the Lord about what else to do. But for now we feel sure this is the right path.

My husband did all the initial legwork in researching the different facilities in out area. The one he chose is only about five minutes away from us, and it has a small, homey feel rather than a big institutional feel. Every time I have talked with any of the staff I have been reassured by their knowledge and attitude. As we have gone over several times in the last week to set up the room, hang curtains, etc., we’ve enjoyed saying hello to the other residents and look forward to getting to know them better. We do plan to visit often as well as bring Mom over to our house and take her to church with us.

I know there may be some bumps along the road for all of us as we figure things out, but ultimately I have every hope that this next stage in her life and ours will be a blessing to her.

I Remember Laura blogathon, Week 5: Heirlooms and Treasures

Posted on June 30, 2008 by Barbara Harper

Miss Sandy of Quill Cottage is hosting an “I Remember Laura” blogathon on Mondays through the month of June in memory of Laura Ingalls Wilder, author if the “Little House” series of books. There will also be an art swap going on each week in connection with the theme: Click on the picture for more information. Also throughout the month she will be sharing parts of an interview with Laura Ingalls Gunn of Decor to Adore, a fourth cousin of Laura Ingalls Wilder.

I do distinctly remember the little shepherdess figurine that was always on display in Laura’s homes and how it just made each place feel like home. Though our little treasures are just “things,” yet they do give us that feel of homeyness and a link with our loved ones’ memories.

Unfortunately, for various reasons there hasn’t been much in the way of family heirlooms passed down from my ancestors. But I do have a few things, most of which have appeared on my blog before.

This is a crocheted bedspread made by my great-aunt Dot. I told more about it here.

My mother, Dorothy, was named for her, and I remember her and another great-aunt as a pair — it seemed like they were always together. We had this on our bed for a while, but, for being crocheted, it is very heavy, so it is in the closet for now.

Last fall my step-father and sisters came to visit and brought a big box of mostly pictures and papers. What a treasure trove! My mom’s baby book was in there as were the recipes I shared a few weeks ago. But one of my favorite things was this college graduation book of my mother’s mother. Her name was Harriet, and I hadn’t known before that she went by Hattie:

Inside was a place for autographs, school colors, and a homecoming ribbon:

Her school song:

And notes from the Commencement sermon:

My grandmother passed away when I was four years old. To have some her her things written in her own hand is very gratifying to me. I enjoyed getting to know her a little bit through these items.

My mom passed away two and a half years ago, and there are so many things in our home that she gave to us. Much of my Boyd’s Bear collection came from her. This is one of the favorite prints she gave me (she was a big Home Interiors fan):

I don’t have many things of my dad’s: he passed away several years earlier. This is a medal he earned for sharpshooting while in the service. Some day I want to make a collage or shadowbox of this plus pictures and one of the shells from the twenty-one gun salute at his funeral.

My father’s mother used to constantly have crochet projects she worked on almost any time she was still. This is a baby blanket she made for my firstborn and a doily.

At this point in time, my sons aren’t terribly interested in family heirlooms, but I wasn’t either at their age. I hope they will be in the future, Miss Sandy mentioned Laura was the memory keeper of her family, and that’s what I want to be. Some years back I began writing down some family stories mostly as a way to trace God’s hand in our lives after hearing a message from Psalm 78:

4 We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done.

5 For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children:

6 That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children:

7 That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments:

8 And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not stedfast with God.

I need to get back to that! I have also saved letters I have written to them through the years. I have a box for each of them with cards, notes, some of their art work, etc. I wished I had saved things more systematically — when they were little I was doing good just to toss a few things in a box. I also hope to see some of the things I have made in a grandchild’s room one day. 🙂 I’ve mentioned before that most of the things I’ve made have been for gifts and I didn’t have many at home. But the room I made the most things for was my children’s room when they were little. Most of those things are packed in the attic, but this was one of the first things I made and one of the last to be taken down.

Of course, I know that when they marry, their wives will have their own tastes and decorating ideas, so I don’t want to “push” the idea of their using anything from their childhood room, but I want them to feel welcome to them. I have thought we’ll probably have a playroom or something for grandkids and we might put some of those things up there.

Thanks so much to Miss Sandy for hosting this blogathon. I have enjoyed the focus each week and meeting new bloggers who have some of the same interests. I didn’t participate in the art swap (would have loved too — just didn’t have time) but when she receives those things she will post them.