*The Gift of Memory*

Over the weekend, two of my grandaughters came over for a visit; the older one is expecting my great-grandchild in January and I can hardly contain myself in the anticipation of this event. Can you even begin to imagine, a great-grandchild? We were talking about my hobby of scrapbooking, which I love. I have made scrapbooks for each of them and the older one said that several people that she showed her books to stated that they were good enough to be done professionally and sold. I love the compliment because I am proud of my work, but, as I told her, I could never do that because they are too personal to me. After they left, I began to think about that and realized that I scrapbook for them not only to somehow preserve their legacy, but also, to give them my memories.

I have given many gifts to my children and grandchildren over the years and I suspect I will give many more before my life is through. Some will be simple, some extravagant, most carefully chosen, some picked in haste on the way to somewhere. Some could be rare and unusual, the kind of gift that makes the giver hover excitedly while the paper is unwrapped. But even those incomparable treasures could have been uncovered by someone else - even, heaven forbid, by another grandmother. They're unusual, but they're not unique. There is only one gift in all the world that can be given by me alone, only one gift I can give that is 'truly' unique. That is the gift of memories, captured and preserved and passed on to the people that I love. Only I can preserve the timeless treasure that conveys my heart and my love to them most eloquently. Even some of the treasures that I make by hand, my crocheted blankets, for example, provide a mute testimony to my unconditional love for them. But not even the most exquisite handmade treasure cannot communicate the way a picture can, the way a word can. Sometimes you have to tell the story by actually telling the story. Just yesterday, I was listening to some music and heard the song "Jesus Christ Superstar" from the broadway show by the same name. I had taken my three children to see the play at their school when they were younger. At the end of the performance when everyone was standing and clapping their hands to the music and such a great performance, I looked up and there on the stage were my three kids with the cast, singing their little hearts out. What a fond memory! I will have to scrapbook that thought, I want to let them know how great a moment that was in my life, something I will always remember. The gift of family stories preserved in words and pictures is an irreplaceable and timeless treasure.