Gift Giving for a Lifetime

Gift Giving for a Lifetime
This December I will once again pass the anniversaries of my parent's deaths. My father will be gone 18 years this December 10th and my Mom will be gone 14 years on Christmas Eve. I never would have thought that I would no longer have my parents by time I barely got into my 30s. They were too young to die and I was too young to be left without parents. My son, Michael, remembers little about his grandparents. One day I wore a perfume I had once given my mother and as I walked by he said, "I smell Grandma". Such a precious thing that he could recall her perfume! My daughter, Kerri, has only a slight recollection of her Grandmother. One day when she was about 10 she noticed the picture of my parents on the shelf in the living room. She stopped to ponder then asked me, "Who is that guy dancing with Grandma in that picture?" It broke my heart that she had no memory of her Grandfather.
Memories and legacies are so precious to pass down. As this anniversary comes near once again I am reminded of how much I want to touch the lives of my children and hopefully in the future, my grandchildren. I am also reminded of a project that I heard about years ago and still have not done. Maybe if I share it with you I will have the accountability needed to complete it and maybe also inspire you to do the same. What I would like to do for each of my children is to get a new Bible and for one year use only that Bible. As I read through I would write short prayers for them in the margins or give a brief insight into that verse, or tell them why that verse spoke to me. Then at the end of the year I have a precious gift for my child. After doing this for your children move on to your children- in- law and grandchildren and leave them your thoughts and prayers for them in a tangible way.
I received my Grandfather's Bible along the way but there are no notes. I have my mom's Bible but there is nothing to let me know how precious the Word was to her. God has shown me my legacy in a unique way-I will share that with you next time but for now I hope you are inspired to leave a legacy, a gift that lasts forever!
"Give ear O my people, to my law; incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old, which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from our children, telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and His strength and His wonderful works that He has done." Psalm 78:1-4 Kathy