GRAND Magazine - September/October 2013 - (Page 36-37)

grand memories & moments Keepsakes from the heart by Gramma Good I photo credIt: ©aVaVa regularly gift my grandchildren with keepsakes. My family calls them “Treasures from Honey” (my grandmother name). I’ve also taught my grandchildren to gift me with keepsakes. All these treasures hold special meaning to my grandchildren and me. When I see their little gifts of love in my home, I smile and think of the grandchild who took the time to think of me. And it gives me great pleasure to see my gifts of love in their homes. I have keepsakes from my own grandmother, too, that I value deeply—like her music box, which sits on my dresser to this day. Every day, I see it and think of her, just as I hope my grandchildren think of me every time they see a Treasure from Honey on their dresser, desk, or shelf. The first keepsake I bought for a grandchild was a rock. At the time, I was a new grandmother, in my forties, and my first-born grandchild, Ben, was a toddler. My husband and I were in Colorado and casually window-shopping when we came upon a rock shop. Nature lover that I am, I went inside. As soon as I spotted that special rock, I thought, A keepsake for Ben! Now, a rock may seem an unlikely keepsake for a one-year-old, but to me it was the perfect symbol of a grandparent’s “solid as a rock” love for a grandchild. When I saw the plateaus ascending the rock’s face, I was reminded of the steps of life ahead for Ben. Feeling the sturdy base in my hand, I thought of the foundation 36 GRAND september october 2013 that we, along with Ben’s parents, would provide—giving him the stability and wisdom he’d need to climb those steps. As Ben grew older, I wanted him to look at that rock and know he could, and would, climb the highest mountains. When Ben was in his early twenties, I walked into his now adult bedroom to talk with him, and there was The Rock sitting on his desk! My eyes welled with tears, realizing his first Treasure from Honey was still a cherished keepsake to him. It is easy (and okay) to buy our grandkids gifts that are the latest fads or provide short-lived pleasure. But giving a keepsake that holds a special meaning or commemorates a cherished memory is a treasure from the heart that helps build a legacy of love that lasts forever. Gramma Good (susan Good) has 20 grandchildren and is the founder of GrammaGood.com, one of GRAND’s top ten grandparent websites of 2013. september october 2013 GRAND 37 http://www.grammagood.com/gramma-goods-keepsakes/ http://www.grammagood.com/

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of GRAND Magazine - September/October 2013

GRAND Magazine - September/October 2013
Contents
Congratulations 2013 GRANDparent of the Year Honorees!
Hooray for Grandparents, Ingenuity, and ICE!
GRAND Magazine Best of the Web Awards
Rockin’ the World
Leaving a Legacy
Don Miguel Ruiz: Our Sacred Agreement to Grandchildren
Keepsakes from the Heart
Do Kids Under 5 Get Too Much Screen Time?
Let the Learning Games Begin!
Falling into the Grandma Zone
A Special Grandmother
Ducky Butt, Not Tucky Butt!
GRAND Sponsor: ClearSounds Communications
Terrific Tech Gadgets for the Whole Family
The ABCs of Grandparenting: Who’s Teaching Whom?
Can Bribery Warm a Cold Shoulder?
Keep Your Marriage from Becoming a Casualty of Caregiving
Hidden Treasures

GRAND Magazine - September/October 2013