My Grandpa died when I was 3 1/2 years old. I have only two memories of him. The first was watching him lift a spoonful of tea out of his cup and then pour it back into the cup. Time after time, he would slowly raise the spoon, empty it, and then lower it into the cup again. I couldn’t understand why grandpa was doing this. I asked my dad why grandpa was playing with his tea and dad explained that grandpa was cooling it. Although I remember this event distinctly, it holds no particular significance.
My second memory: I’m sitting on my grandfather’s lap in his den. We’re in the large overstuffed rocking chair. It’s grandpa’s chair, the one with the wide oversized wooden arms. The left arm is broken and can be swung to the side if you know the special secret of how to move it. The chair squeaks loudly with each forward and backward motion. Nothing is said.
This memory of my grandfather has had an enduring impact on me. I still remember feeling loved, secure, and cared for. It is a different kind of memory. It doesn’t just exist in my mind. It’s in me — all of me.
That same special sense of love, care, and security is what I want to impart to my twelve grandchildren. I realize that I am in a unique position to do something that reflects God’s love for them individually. Each time we get together there are opportunities that can help them to know the Lord and to grow in their relationship with Him. How? I give a hug, show interest in them and their lives, and seek to make a special memory.
Bob Hope, the famous comedian, understood the power of making special memories. “Thanks for the Memories” was his theme song. He said, “When we recall the past, we usually find that it is the simplest things – not the great occasions – that, in retrospect, give off the greatest glow of happiness.”
Memories can be a powerful legacy. My hope is to leave a legacy of special memories to my grandchildren. I pray that they will remember a life lived for Jesus Christ and that, by God’s grace, those memories will help them live their lives for Jesus.
Thanks for the memories, grandpa, especially the ones that are more than memories.
Bob Beard is a resident of Lansing, Michigan and a grandfather of 12.
Copyright © 2017 Grandly – The Strategic Grandparents Club.