I was thinking the other day about all the things I want to do with my children, but feel that I never have the time, money, or energy to do. I want to take them on vacations, to the zoos, to the museums, to see the oceans and on and on and on. These are not realities in our life right now for several reasons. This all caused me to start thinking of my own childhood.
I was a blessed child. If you want details feel free to talk to my older siblings who will tell you all the things that I got of which they were deprived because I was the baby. We went on wonderful vacations, I was in many activities, and had many wonderful experiences. I saw the oceans, the national parks, disney world, etc. There were many good times.
But, do you know what I remember most from my childhood? I remember 5 things that I want my children to remember.
1. God loves me
2. My family loves me (well, at least my parents-again you'll have to talk to the siblings) ;)
3. Always try to be generous and compassionate.
4. Display grace every chance you get
5. Stick to the Truth and stand up for it
Do you know how I learned these things? Not from the trips, activities, disney land, video games, TV, or an Ipad. It was from the time spent together. Time my family spent modeling these things. I loved the experiences that the "special times" brought. But honestly, my favorite moments were laughing over a board game with loved ones in the hotel after visiting various attractions. Or, just staying home and watching TV together (back when you could do that as a family). Better yet was when we went and served others as a family. Anything together was what I enjoyed most. The best gift I was given was time.
I need to remember this with my own children. They don't need extravagance...they need me. They don't need perfection, they need grace; grace for them and grace for myself. They need to see their mom laugh and have fun and delight in the time I get to spend with them. Oh how I need to remember this day by day.
This is what I remember (for me) and yet I daily forget (for them). I forget to look them in the eye instead of looking at Facebook. I forget to laugh off my mistakes and let them see that I'm not perfect (I think they see it anyway). I forget to be gracious when they make mistakes by telling them that I relate to their feelings because I've been there, too. Some days I feel that there is not enough time to do all I need to and unfortunately building relationship with my children can get pushed to the bottom of the list. Shame on me. I must do better to pass on the rich heritage I've been given. I must pass on these 5 important things...onward.
