Legacy Bibles and Lunchbox Snacks

 

It’s been a few weeks since I learned about these ideas, and I’ve been looking forward to sharing them with you, but life has been newsy in other ways, so I haven’t gotten to these topics until now!

            Right around the first of the year, I saw a post from a writer-friend of mine who spent all of 2022 studying out of a new Bible she purchased for her teenage daughter. As she read through the Bible in that year, she highlighted verses that she found especially meaningful and wrote prayers, notes, and lessons in the wide margins. At the end of the year, she presented that gift to her daughter, who is now a senior in high school. She mentioned her husband was doing the same thing in another Bible for their son.

            I loved this idea. As I scrolled through the comments on her post, I found notes from other parents and grandparents who had done this very thing as a legacy for their children and grandchildren. What a wonderful gift!

            Even if you’re not a parent or grandparent, this would be a tremendous gift for someone you’re mentoring in the faith or a dear friend who might be newer to walking with the Lord.

            Right after I learned about legacy Bibles, I saw another great idea that I wanted to pass along to you. It’s also a grandparent-geared idea, but it wouldn’t have to be limited to grandparents. You could alter it to fit your own life!

            My former pastor and his wife retired from their respective jobs within the last year, and I have loved watching them embrace everything about retirement. They are so purposeful in investing in others and living actively, and it’s a joy to see what they’re doing with these post-working years.

            They have a handful of school-age grandchildren, and most of them live locally. One of their daughters posted about an adventure they had last summer and repeated again over Christmas break.

            They picked a Saturday and invited all the children and grandchildren to come over, and they spent the entire day baking together. They made dozens of treats: cookies, brownies, popcorn balls, puppy chow…you name it. They packed everything in individual serving bags and put them in the freezer. Throughout the school semester, one of these treats went in the kids’ lunches every day (or was available when they came home from school). They were able to daily enjoy something they remembered making with their grandparents.

            The post said the first round of treats lasted the first semester, so they reconvened over Christmas break to make a second round of treats for the spring semester.

            Goodness, how I loved that! Knowing them like I do, I could just hear the laughter, stories, and lessons shared on those (probably chaotic) baking days, and even if the kids don’t verbalize it in the moment, I know they think about it every time they enjoy one of their lunch treats.

            What I love most of all about both of these ideas is the intentionality that went into making a specific investment in a loved one’s life. Whether investing in their faith journey or the daily mundane, both these gifts go far beyond the tangible in front of them.

            Maybe you’re a parent or grandparent…and maybe you’re not. But either way, I know you have people in your life you love and want to bless. These are magnificent ways to show love!