GRAND Magazine - March/April 2017 - 28

BY CHRYS HOWARD

Over the years, I have looked for a t-shirt that
come from a big family. My parents instilled
a strong love of family in all six of their chil- expressed my "joy" at being a grandma, but I
was never happy with the ones I found. Other
dren. I grew up knowing that possessions
"grandma" shirts were just not me. Several years
are never more important than people and
ago, I started
any true joy comes
talking about doing
from the relationship
my own t-shirt line,
you nurture with the
but life kept getting
people in your life.
in the way and I
When my first
never got to it. As
grandchild was born,
I was helping my,
I was like many new
now grown, grandgrandmas thinking
son, John Luke,
he was the cutest,
shape his book,
most adorable, and
Young and Beardless,
smartest child on the
I was impacted
planet. The only way
by something
to describe what I felt
he said. He chalas I looked into the
lenged his readers
hospital nursery was
and go out do and
pure joy. I tell people
something they've
it's a good thing
My mom looks so cute in her Wear
Your Joy t-shirt, don't you always wanted to
Facebook didn't exist
think? She is pictured here with two
of her great-granddaughdo. WOW! I realized
back then or some
ters, Bella Robertson and Aslyn Howa
rd.
that's what I needed
major over-posting
to do, so when 2016 rolled around, I determined
would have occurred when John Luke Robertson
to make my T-shirt idea a reality.
was born. My friends would have seen that dimI love seeing grandmas of all ages, and in all
ple-cheeked face way too many times! But, my joy
stages, wear my t-shirts. These shirts are simply
didn't end there. You may recognize John Luke's
a way to express an overpowering love we have
name as one of the children on A&E's reality show,
for those we value the most. After all, isn't it the
Duck Dynasty. Yes, six of the kids on the show are
simplest of things-a hug, a kiss, a wave, a wink, a
my grandchildren, but I also have eight more, for a
handwritten note-that bring us the greatest joy?
total of fourteen. I adore each one of them.

Chrys Howard with grandkids

I'm happy to announce my Wear Your Joy™ line of t-shirts and my website, www.wearyourjoy.net,
is now up and running. Please click here to visit us and see the full collection!!
Chrys Howard holds a degree in elementary education and spent ten years teaching
children with learning differences. After teaching, she joined their family owned
business, Howard Publishing, where she served as senior editor and Creative Director
for twelve years. She has authored fourteen books, including two cookbooks
and two children's books with Kay Robertson as well as Strong and Kind, Duck
Commander Devotionals for Kids, and Happy, Happy, Happy Stories for Kids with
her daughter, Korie Robertson. She is the founder of It's a Mom Thing Radio and
currently serves as a summer camp director. Chrys is married to John Howard. They
have three grown children and fourteen grandchildren and live in West Monroe, LA.

http://www.wearyourjoy.net/ http://www.wearyourjoy.net/ http://www.wearyourjoy.net/ http://www.wearyourjoy.net/

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of GRAND Magazine - March/April 2017