Do you remember when you struggled to buy and wrap the absolutely most outstanding gift for your spouse or your children for birthdays or Christmas? I don’t either.
Stuff gets forgotten and rather quickly. Do you remember what you got for Christmas three years ago? I don’t either.
So, then, what really lasts? Isn’t it memories?
Two things come to mind for me.
When our eldest child was about 11 years old, we had a powwow after we’d been invited to take a Christmas trip to Breckenridge, CO for a ski vacation. I was the only one who had ever skied and the response from the rest of the tribe was less than enthusiastic.
I dug deep and came up with a proposition that sold the deal. I promised the kids if they didn’t enjoy making a memory instead of getting presents and a Christmas tree, I’d make it up to them during the year.
Reluctantly, we all boarded the church bus with our friends and off we went. The first day on the slopes was punctuated with lots of grumbling and complaining…and I was sure this was going to be the last ski trip ever.
By the time the week was over, our kids were sold. They began on the way home asking when and where we could go again next year. It was seven years before we put up another Christmas tree.
Memories…we can pull them out over and over and laugh again and again.
Oh, and our eldest, he talked us into giving him permission at Christmas of his senior year in high school to make the trek back to Breckenridge by himself with 5 of his friends. We got prayed up while they drove to and from, and they returned safely with even more memories to pull out and enjoy any time they wish for the rest of their lives.
Not to be outdone, my bride and I started a tradition of our own which we practice religiously every year. We take turns planning our wedding anniversaries. Year after year we work to surprise each other. All of those events we have carefully recorded in a book and many years we have used our celebratory events to pull the book out and play, “I remember when….”
I’m just saying…memories are where it’s at. Go make some. Start today. If you’d like a copy of some of the things we have done over the years, send me message and I’ll send you the chapter in the book with all we have done.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
