How easy it is to give grandchildren gifts and money, or sit them in front of a DVD or game console - and they'll love you for it - but will the memory of it stay in their mind for very long?
This last weekend we took our grandchildren on an adventure up their first mountain.
As we walked we were able to talk to each one individually about their lives, hobbies experiences, and they were able to ask questions about the countryside, Wales, wildflowers and trees as well as grandad teaching them about maps and compasses. We laughed a lot - especially when I fell in the heather and got grumpy. We got wet, muddy and very tired and at the very end they voted to go the extra mile to the summit and made it. We were very proud of them and they were happy to have done it.
Time is the greatest gift you can give to anyone, not just grandchildren. I'm sure our grandchildren will remember it for many years to come.
Monday 17 August 2009
Tuesday 11 August 2009
My Godmother
My Godmother is 81 and in poor health. After visiting her a couple of weeks ago I started reflecting on her life and the family's lives as she is also my Auntie and now find myself longing for more time with her as there are so many questions I'd like to ask her.
Our older relatives hold so much wisdom and knowledge and stories about our family. Sometimes they're funny memories, sometimes sad, but most of all they teach us a lot about ourselves and how we came to be the way we are.
I don't think my Godmother can share so much now but it has made me realise how precious she is and how she helped during my upbringing and especially how she always encouraged me to go to Mass and have a relationship with God. She has been a constant strength to me and a bolthole in my teenage years when I needed to get away and just be.
Iwill miss her when she's gone, but I know she'll be up there praying for me and looking out for me.
Cherish your older relatives and visit them often before it's too late.
Our older relatives hold so much wisdom and knowledge and stories about our family. Sometimes they're funny memories, sometimes sad, but most of all they teach us a lot about ourselves and how we came to be the way we are.
I don't think my Godmother can share so much now but it has made me realise how precious she is and how she helped during my upbringing and especially how she always encouraged me to go to Mass and have a relationship with God. She has been a constant strength to me and a bolthole in my teenage years when I needed to get away and just be.
Iwill miss her when she's gone, but I know she'll be up there praying for me and looking out for me.
Cherish your older relatives and visit them often before it's too late.
Tuesday 4 August 2009
A Poem
When the land lies silent,
and all around
the coldness and stillness
of a Winter's Eve
envelops us.
Then,
I think we are in God's hands.
He holds us
and warms us
in His embrace.
He thaws the cold heart
and puts life into
withered limbs.
He puts a hope
in the hearts of the lost,
and joy into those
who are despairing.
He infuses us
with the promise
of a Spring to come.
He makes our eyes eager
for the first green shoots,
the first buds of blossom
on the willow,
and our ears strain
for the sound of a skylark
and the bleat of a lamb.
It is on evenings like these
that I know we are safe.
That our worries are needless,
for He holds us in His plan
and He loves us.
Ann Baxter
and all around
the coldness and stillness
of a Winter's Eve
envelops us.
Then,
I think we are in God's hands.
He holds us
and warms us
in His embrace.
He thaws the cold heart
and puts life into
withered limbs.
He puts a hope
in the hearts of the lost,
and joy into those
who are despairing.
He infuses us
with the promise
of a Spring to come.
He makes our eyes eager
for the first green shoots,
the first buds of blossom
on the willow,
and our ears strain
for the sound of a skylark
and the bleat of a lamb.
It is on evenings like these
that I know we are safe.
That our worries are needless,
for He holds us in His plan
and He loves us.
Ann Baxter
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