Making memories
Well, it looks as though winter has finally arrived. It started snowing mid-morning and hasn't stopped, much to the delight of all the children in residence. I actually don't mind snow as long as I don't have to drive in it. (I really don't enjoy driving our giant van in the snow. Even getting out of our driveway can be dicey with the much narrower street.) And since I don't have to go anywhere until church on Sunday (and even then I don't have to drive), I can be excited, too.
This official change of seasons has made me think about how much I like having four distinct seasons of the year and all the things which go along with them. It is a way of keeping time and also a way to create memories for our children. Creating memories is so much more than just checking off a list of activities done and places visited. The best, I think, are the ones that give us a sense of security and belonging and place. They are also the memories that involve all of the senses. And while memories are made just by living, I like to be a bit more purposeful.
As mothers we have the chance to create a whole host of memories for our children. A cup of hot cocoa after coming in from playing in the snow. A kitchen filled with wonderful smells. The feeling of being tucked up into a soft blanket when feeling chilly and perhaps a little tired. An extra long bath after a fretful day. Hearing beautiful music.
These are all simple things; most involve things that we mothers have to do on a daily basis. But they become so much greater than their sum when thought of in terms of building our children's idea of home and their memories of home that they will carry with them as they grow. Memories that will be kept and shared with our children's own children. It's a bit overwhelming to think the small, seemingly insignificant things we do for and with our children today may well influence the lives of our grandchildren and perhaps even further. It may seem just like another dinner tonight, but over the course of years it becomes something bigger.
If perhaps you were growing weary with the every day-ness of your household tasks, take heart, because really what you are doing is creating a legacy and inheritance for your children of all the good things home should be.
This official change of seasons has made me think about how much I like having four distinct seasons of the year and all the things which go along with them. It is a way of keeping time and also a way to create memories for our children. Creating memories is so much more than just checking off a list of activities done and places visited. The best, I think, are the ones that give us a sense of security and belonging and place. They are also the memories that involve all of the senses. And while memories are made just by living, I like to be a bit more purposeful.
As mothers we have the chance to create a whole host of memories for our children. A cup of hot cocoa after coming in from playing in the snow. A kitchen filled with wonderful smells. The feeling of being tucked up into a soft blanket when feeling chilly and perhaps a little tired. An extra long bath after a fretful day. Hearing beautiful music.
These are all simple things; most involve things that we mothers have to do on a daily basis. But they become so much greater than their sum when thought of in terms of building our children's idea of home and their memories of home that they will carry with them as they grow. Memories that will be kept and shared with our children's own children. It's a bit overwhelming to think the small, seemingly insignificant things we do for and with our children today may well influence the lives of our grandchildren and perhaps even further. It may seem just like another dinner tonight, but over the course of years it becomes something bigger.
If perhaps you were growing weary with the every day-ness of your household tasks, take heart, because really what you are doing is creating a legacy and inheritance for your children of all the good things home should be.
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