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When I think back and reminisce about my childhood, some of my most favorite memories involve my grandparents. The smell of sawdust immediately reminds me of my Papa. He was a contractor and built our house and many others on James Island. He had a green thumb and could grow just about anything in his garden, but a favorite of mine were his Jerusalem artichokes – something I still love eating to this day.
I also spent so many weekends with my grandmomma and grandaddy. Grandmomma taught me how to play Old Maid, Go Fish, and Rummy. She let me paint her nails and help her cook. My grandaddy would share his Breyers chocolate ice milk with me at night before bed and take me to church on Sundays. So many wonderful times spent with them that were a blessing to me.
Now that I am a Honey to our new grandson, Graham, I want him to have these special core memories and blessings, too. This new role as grandparent led me to revisit the story of Jacob when he was a grandparent to Joseph’s sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, in Genesis 48:8-16. In this story Jacob laid hands on his grandsons and prayed a blessing over them because he had faith and trusted God to pass along the blessings to his grandchildren.
It has reminded me that not only am I called to nurture and love (and maybe even spoil a little bit) our grandson, but I am also called to pray God’s blessing on him. I am charged with the job of reminding him of God’s love and the hope of Jesus in his life as well as being an example of Jesus’ love and hope in my interactions with everyone around me.
When I am rocking Graham to sleep, I sing to him. Mostly it’s You are My Sunshine, but I also sing Jesus Loves the Little Children. I want him to know and remember that he is precious in Jesus’ eyes…and mine.
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