Sep
9
2019
Grandma Box
Posted in Family Life 4 Comments
I saw the letter on my desk in the kitchen.
I knew the handwriting.
I opened it.
What I read, warmed my heart.
The letter was from my daughter.
Or so I thought.
It was really from my 15 month old granddaughter.
It was from my granddaughter, though it was sent with a little help.
It was a handmade card.
It was to commemorate a holiday that I vaguely knew existed.
It was a Grandparents Day card.
It is a treasure.
To a cynic, it is nothing special.
To one who expects store bought cards, this would seem kind of amateur.
To me, it is priceless.
It is as priceless as the plethora of handmade things my own children made for me.
On the front of the card, there is hand drawn flower.
The stem, the leaves, and the printing were done by my daughter
On the inside, my granddaughter colored below her name.
The flower is what is so priceless; the flower is my sweet granddaughter’s hand print.
My granddaughter will never be fifteen months again.
Her hand will never be this small again.
With each passing year, her hand will grow.
This flower will stay the same.
I hope that we, the recipients of hand prints, realize how precious they really are.
They are a permanent reminder of a moment in time.
Whether there is only one child in your life or many, those handmade gifts accumulate.
I came up with a solution all those years ago.
Each of my children had a Mom box. (read the 2014 Whisper on this)
In that Mom box, there were folders.
Each folder represented a school year.
In each folder were hand made cards, pictures, school work, and report cards.
I could not possibly keep everything.
Each child had a brown grocery bag in their closet.
For the entire school year, everything they brought home was placed in that bag.
At the end of the year, they had to make two piles.
One was a throw away pile.
The other was a Mom box pile.
The throw away pile needed to be the biggest pile.
The things they chose for the Mom box got placed in a dated folder, which held a year’s work.
Each of my children have their own Mom box.
I bought large file boxes in assorted colors.
Those Mom boxes are still on a shelf in my closet.
One day, each child will get their Mom box, so they can show their children the things they made.
It was my husband who made the suggestion.
He loved the Grandparents Day card as much as I did.
You should buy a Grandma Box, he suggested.
I thought it was a wonderful idea.
Instead of a box for each grandchild, I will have one large Grandma box.
Each grandchild will have a folder.
Art work, notes, and special drawings will all go inside the Grandma box.
As God allows, there will be quite a collection.
I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. (2 Timothy 1:5)
Timothy was a young man who accompanied the apostle, Paul, on his missionary journeys.
Timothy’s father was Greek.
Timothy’s mother and grandmother were believers in the Lord Jesus.
From his mother and grandmother, Timothy learned about God.
Their teaching took root.
Timothy was a strong believer.
As Timothy traveled with the apostle, Paul, he told others about Jesus.
God used the two important women in Timothy’s life to train him.
If Timothy had a Mom box, what would be in it?
What pictures might he have drawn?
What stories or poems might he have written?
If we think of the people in the Bible as walking six inches off the ground, we are mistaken.
Everyone in God’s Word was a real person.
They wore diapers; they learned to walk and talk.
They had friends and played as a young child.
They probably gave their mothers precious things they made as gifts.
If we forget that, we make the people, that God used as examples for us, less human.
Timothy was impacted by his mother and grandmother.
Paul recognized Timothy’s training and gave his mother and grandmother the credit.
We mothers and grandmothers can only do what God has equipped us to do.
A Mom box or a Grandma box is worth having.
It is a treasure trove of keepsakes.
It is visible evidence of God’s goodness and grace.
It is a reminder that the child was given to you to love and train.
I need to move the five Mom boxes of my own children over a little bit on the shelf.
I have to make room for my Grandma box.
It is a place in which I will put my treasures.
I know the first thing that I will add to the folder.
Such a sweet idea and treasure…and those ‘treasures’ from our children and grands mount up quickly! It is fun to show our children those treasures they made yrs ago…and now to think their littles are doing the same with great pride as well! These treasures will be cherished forever, shared from one generation to the next…just as we pray our example and impact as God-loving moms and grandmoms will leave a mark forever with those we had the blessing and privilege to raise and influence in a Godly way.
Amen, Carolyn.
It is a privilege to have an impact on the life of a child.
Our impact is part of a family legacy all for His Glory.
Gina
So sweet! I got a similar card from my great-grandson on my Birthday in June! God bless all these little ones!
How lovely, Sue.
I am sure that card from your great grandson warmed your heart.
Yes, children are a blessing from God.
Gina