A picture often speaks without words. Could you guess that 1) this big brother loves his little sissy and 2) he also loves being in control?“
There is an old proverb, “The palest ink is better than the sharpest memory,” and it is true. We thought we’d NEVER forget ____, but the memory faded. Thank God, many memories of our family live on in my Joy Journal, where words penned the memory while it was still fresh. Now I open the pages, and the past comes alive. Our two youngest grandchildren, Raquel and Mateo, at 5 & 7, are still causing the ink to flow in my journal. Here are a few excerpts you might enjoy.
RAQUEL, Age 5
♦ Raquel had been taking note how proud we all were of her brother Mateo when he recited his Bible memory verses from his Christian preschool the past year. Then the time came when Raquel started preschool at age 4 and she had her first Bible verse to recite. She stood up tall and proudly shared John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he ate his only son…” I’m sure God enjoyed this version just as much as all of us did. Raquel has added many verses since then with a great deal of accuracy, I might add.
♦ When Christy asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up, she replied, “Mommy, I’m going to be a diver, a scientist, a doctor, a mom and a leader of MOPS like you, but at a different church.” I can actually see that gal doing all of them, maybe not all at once. If she sets her mind to it, she will get it done. I was just glad she didn’t mention she wanted to be a Luke Skywalker, her hero.
MATEO, Age 7
♦ Mateo was extremely observant at an early age. When he was only 3 months old, he loved Dr. Seuss books. He’d get so excited listening to his mother Christy read and kept his focus for the whole book, kicking his feet, waving his hands, eagerly awaiting the next page. He has always had a thirst for knowledge.
♦ At age 3 he loved seeing construction machinery working on the roads. Being very observant, I’d say, “Look, Mateo, there is a backhoe.” and he would quickly reply, “No, Grandma, that is an end loader.” Oh… Even now when he comes to visit, he glues himself to the TV to watch one thing with his grandpa– no cartoons, no kid movies, no kid shows, but “How It’s Made.” For him, our DVR never has enough episodes stored up.
This past weekend these kiddos came for a mini-grandkid camp. At breakfast they brainstormed with Grandpa about what project they wanted to build in his shop.
“Let’s build a tree house for our backyard.” (I’m not sure Mom and Dad would like that.)
“I know, a swimming pool.” (Hmmm. That might be a little too big.)
“How about a trampoline?” (That’s a good thought. Can you think of something we might be able to build in an hour or two?)
So Grandpa, Mateo, & Raquel decided on building a boat, an aircraft carrier. After a few hours of kid power, Grandpa spent most of the day in the shop finishing the body of a 3′ long wooden aircraft carrier that filled the back of their SUV. Mom got instructions on how to help them build the tower on the deck and Grandpa is supposed to get the motor and remote control assembled for the official launch at Vincent Landing on the Mississippi River on Labor Day Weekend. No problem with thinking big in this family!
I hope this has brought you joy and that you are inspired to purposely capture those special family memories and preserve them for the future. Our grandkids never tire of the hearing these stories over and over, and neither do we. Let me know how you plan to preserve and share your joy.
Later, Grandma V