HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS: HEIRLOOM STORIES ARE A PERFECT GIFTWritten by Linda LaPointe
HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS: HEIRLOOM STORIES ARE A PERFECT GIFT WORD COUNT 435 Selecting right gift for a special someone is sometimes joyous, sometimes a chore. Give a gift that’s free. A gift that no one else could give. A gift of your legacy! Consider giving to or requesting a very personal, one-of-a-kind gift this year: heirloom stories. A perfect gift for an adult child who has everything. A perfect gift to request from aging parents who don’t know what to give. A daughter knew that quilt protected in her mother’s cedar chest was her great grandmother’s. But until her mother recorded story of quilt she did not know how dear it really was. The quilt was a wedding present received day before her newly married great grandparents climbed onto a covered wagon in Pennsylvania to begin their journey westward to Colorado and a new life. Protected and hand carried across U.S. quilt bumped for a thousand miles along Santa Fe Trail with a wagon train. That quilt is now much more cherished. People forget that they live in their homes with history all around them. Old tools, equipment and machinery have a history all their own. A woman’s gloves, hat or shoes describe an era never to be seen again. Most of stories go untold, leaving generations without knowledge of an item’s uniqueness, history or sentimental value. History lessons and family stories can be integrated, enjoyed & remembered by any age recipient. Personal belongings and family heirlooms have so much to say. Have yours told their stories yet? They will be welcome and engaging gifts. Here are some ideas to help you tell those heirloom stories:
| | Giving ThanksWritten by Joyce C. Lock
Thanksgiving began with Pilgrims, to give God thanks for their survival. For Christian family is a tradition of giving thanks, whether it be in a service, to each other, in testimony, song, offering, in a family circle, or in prayer. Though those words may be well intended, sincere, and heart felt ... perhaps we should also give thanks for "our" survival. STONING: When one thinks they're doing God a favor by cutting you off at pass, silencing you, rooting you out of a position, or not letting you participate because you haven't conformed to their ideas for acceptance (leaving you on outside looking in). FLOOD: When adversity hits, one after another, until you are so overwhelmed that you can feel yourself drowning. TRIAL: Spiritual warfare; when Satan tries you through suffering and temptation (meant to slow you down, distract you, detour you from your calling, and even convince you to quit). FIRE: Intense tribulation, going through great troubles, difficulties, or dangers (meant to weed out flesh and Satan's power over you).
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