grandparents

When I think of Christmas, I think of kids. I don’t know about you, but Christmas was always a special time at our house. Homemade cookies, candy, parties, toys, & family were the best memories I have. As a child growing up, I always had the security of a good family. I never knew what it was like to go to bed hungry or not know I was loved beyond belief. I was very blessed. It humbles me to know what a wonderful childhood I had. It could have very easily been another way. You don’t pick who you are born to. Thankfully, I was born to two precious people, who had a way with a feisty little girl.

At this time of year, I get to thinking about what would be the best presents, for my kids, at Christmas. What special memory can I give them about this time of year? I came across this article & wanted to share it with you. It is the best gift you can possibly give your children all year long.

We should conduct our homes so that children will remember:

Daddy & Mama were kind to one another (Ephesians 4:32).
Home was a happy place, governed by the law of love (Psalm 119:165).
Each child was treated fairly and required to obey his or her parents (Ephesians 6:1-4).
Sunday was a day of worship (Acts 20:7).
The Bible, God’s law, settled everything (Psalm 33:4).
Home was a place where friendships were dear, but truth was dearer (Proverbs 18:24, 23:23).
Although mama & daddy worked hard, they took time to read the Bible daily & pray (Hebrews 10:22).

There is still time for many of us to create good memories for our children & grandchildren. One of the best things I remember growing up, was how special church was to my family. At the church we went to, my Daddy was the preacher, my Mama a Sunday School teacher, my Papaw a song leader, who they also called on to pray & serve the Lord’s table, my Mamaw cooked for those in need, was at every service (with the rest of us), & loved our church family dearly. I had aunts, uncles, & cousins that were also serving the congregation. It’s funny, I never really thought of this being one of my Daddy’s jobs. It was just my life & I have been so blessed to have lived it. Me & my brother did have some requirements. (Some of which were perhaps a smidge challenging to an active/high spirited/could not keep her mouth shut/curious type child).

We were to be attentive.

We were to be dressed properly (hair combed, teeth brushed, & in our Sunday best).

We were to be cordial & kind to others.

And never, ever, ever were we allowed to go to the bathroom close to the end of Daddy’s sermon.

Doing this would possibly create a need to walk back to our seat while the invitation song was being sung. That was Daddy’s moment to help those that needed prayer, baptizing, or other spiritual assistance. My Mama was not going to interfere with one of her kids walking up through there, appearing to come forward. (We sat on the front bench.) So, she made sure we went to the restroom & got a brief drink from the water fountain in between Sunday School & Worship Service. I haven’t had to have therapy or counseling due to this, so I’m sure it was just an inconvenience we lived through. As a matter of fact, it taught us to watch what was going on & be aware of other people’s feelings. Not just a great memory, but good upbringing. Sometimes at church, I see kids & adults walking around during the invitation song. I’m like, “Wow, my Mama would have never had that.”

We may not have had the very best of everything life had to offer. But we had a stable, loving family. That’s what I strive to provide for my own kids & grandkids. Is it perfect? No, but they know they are loved & we are here to support them in all the ups & downs of life. That’s more memorable than any Ipad, Dr. Dre’s Beats, or 4 wheeler.***

I do hope you were raised with wonderful memories at Christmas. If not, it’s not too late to be the person who makes special memories for others. Children are a blessing from God. We should always treat them as such. That means not letting them by with everything in the book, teaching them to be respectful, & honest. However, that starts with us, first. My prayer today is that you will have the courage & braveness of heart to do right & good. Not just for others sake, but for your own, as well. I know of some adults, who as children, did not have a regal upbringing. However, now their parents have come around & taken care of their own problems. They have become wonderful grandparents & not to mention a great support to their kids. It’s never too late.

I hope you are having a wonderful & magical holiday season. We are ramping up for a big couple of days at our house. There will be family visiting, kids squealing in delight, & we will be cooking. A lot. It goes without saying, my usual New Year’s resolution of losing weight will be on my list. As for now, I have to be going, because I should be washing clothes.

Mr. Sweetie Pants having his cake batter & banana, too- in his undies, nonetheless.

Mr. Sweetie Pants having his cake batter & banana, too- in his undies, no less. That’s how we roll.

photo credits: pinterest, Thomas Kincaid collection, & my trusty Iphone

Parts of this was taken from a House to House, Heart to Heart bulletin.

***On a side note, I am not trying to be disrespectful to those who buy expensive gifts for their kids. I am just saying all those things can break, be stolen, or wear out. The things you instill in your kids can never be taken away from them. Just a thought.

What would you do if you didn’t know how to sing? There would be no singing in the shower, no happy noise around the house, no entertainment in the car. There would be no sayings like,

“He couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket. Bless his heart.”

One time we were having a Ladies Day at church & I was asked to lead singing. I was so excited! My family was full of people who could sing well. My uncle is a song leader at his church.

I asked him, “What do I need to do? Which songs should I pick out? I can’t even read music. Is that going to be a big deal?”

He said, “I am going to tell you something a lot of people don’t know. Our family sings by letter. We just open up our mouths & let ‘er fly.”

Whew! I’m so glad I got to carry on my family tradition. Because that’s exactly what I did. And I think it worked out ok. I had a lot of fun, I know that.

We had a missionary come to church Sunday. He gave a report on work he & his wife were doing in Italy & Ukraine. He showed one picture on Powerpoint & said,

“This is a time we were teaching the people how to sing. They didn’t know how to sing church hymns.”

Well, don’t that beat all? Since I have been singing in church since I was a wee thing, I can’t imagine not knowing how to sing church songs. I remember thinking my job was to sing louder than anyone. When I was 5 or 6 years old, I can remember my mama telling me she loved hearing me sing, but it was not necessary that I was the loudest in church. Do tell.

When making trips to town, as a young girl, my grandfather & I would sing Old MacDonald, in his old Corvair pick up truck. My grandmother used to sing to us kids. It was mostly songs she had made up. She would rock us & sing. It was better than anything you can imagine. She had such a way to comfort us young’uns. After church on Sundays, at my Papaw & Mamaw’s house, one of us kids would grab a song book. We would stand in the den, with my grandparents, mama, daddy, aunts, uncles, cousins, & one of would be the song leader. All of us would sing our hearts out. My brother would sing, “Leaning on Jesus Everlasting Arm” just like my Uncle Frank did at church. Everybody would “request songs” & we would sing them. Good times.

At church, there were Sunday singings after our dinner on the ground. That’s where the men of the congregation would take turns singing songs. We would go around the room & whoever wanted to lead a song could. Young, old, it didn’t matter. We just loved to sing.

Did you know one of the things we will be doing in heaven is singing? That makes it mine & your responsibility to be a practicin’!

Revelation 15:3

They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying: “Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints! (NKJV)

It’s a known fact that everybody can sing. Some may read music. Some may sing like a bird. Some may make the dogs howl when they commence to singin’. Like us, some may sing by letter, but it’s all beautiful to God, when we worship the Lord. Even though my mama thought it not proper to sing to the top of my lungs, when I was a young lass, that didn’t damper my spirit at all. I still love to sing along with our congregation. It’s hard to sing & not just feel better. And don’t think I have not taken the opportunity of teaching my kids & grandkids to love singing. I sing to these babies & Mr. Sweetie Pants sings back to me. He can belt out, “Jesus Loves Me” or “Rock Me Mama Like a Wagonwheel” in just a split second.

I hope you are having a good week. We are going to be having some cooler weather closer to the weekend. Oh yeah! I got to see all my grandkids this weekend. We had a big ol’ time. What fun things have you done lately? I want to hear all about it. But for now, I have to be going because I should be washing clothes.

photo credits: pinterest, keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk, fumctroy.org