Memories vs. Stuff

Let me use this platform to thank my incredible parents-in-law for taking such good care of our kids while Tasha and I were away! Robbie and Larry, you guys are awesome. Thanks for believing in what we’re doing and showing it in such a practical way by taking care of our 2 crazy kiddos. We love you guys.

The four of them made some wonderful memories over the past week, venturing off to the zoo, to a children’s theme park, multiple trips to the playground, hanging out together reading books and just doing what grandparents do best. But without the spoiling! Sure.

During our trip, Pastor Jeff Long told me something that will probably always stick with me. He said he heard it from Dr. Jim Henry, former pastor of FBC Orlando, and it has made an incredible difference in his family life. He said, (my paraphrase)

“Don’t give your children stuff, give them memories!”

I love that! That’s what we want to do. That’s how we want to raise our kids. Sure, memories will fade, but not as quickly as stuff. And it’s in those simple times of just being together as a family, living simple, using imaginations and hanging out together, that those lifetime bonds happen–that our kids realize what really matters in life–not stuff, but relationships. And our prayer is that through that they will begin to understand the most important relationship in life–the one between them and their Heavenly Father!