Leaving a Legacy of Love... A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

When I began blogging, one of my first endeavors was to find a photo of myself to post under my profile. That was easier said than done. Out of thousands of photos on my computer, there are a lot of my kids, husband, our dog, extended family, and on and on... But only a handful of me. Most of those were taken by my kids and let’s just say they wouldn’t win any cover page contests. Half of those aren't even in focus.

It got me thinking, what if I was hit by a bus today and the only photos my kids have of me are on this computer (plus a few childhood pictures in storage). That’s a pretty sad thought. Especially when I think of how precious my photos of my mom are to me since I lost her six years ago. Well, I’m vowing to change that.

I’m putting together a simple step-by-step process of how to leave a legacy of love for my kids. I'll be giving myself a different assignment each week. If you want to follow along with me, we’ll both end up with something our children will cherish forever!

Step 1: Take some photos

This week, focus on getting someone else to take the photos.

Pictures with your kids:
Make sure you get group family shots, one-on-one photos with each child, and at least one shot with you and your kids as a group (no one else). If your children are grown and you aren’t able to get new shots with them right now, spend this week looking through photo albums for special pictures you’ve already taken.

Pictures of you:
Next, get some shots alone. Ask the person taking the photos to get some candid pictures of you being yourself. These will be worth millions to you children some day! Leave the studio shots up to the studio. Do something silly. Laugh! Show your favorite hobbies. Go to your favorite local places. This is a time to capture your personality and a “snapshot” of who you are today. Have fun!

Find a place to store your photos, like a large manila envelope and put them safely inside. This is where you will keep your collection of Leaving a Legacy of Love items. When we’re finished, we'll have something very special for our children that will be priceless in their eyes.

Think about creating a collection for each child. I’m making three sets.

(photo by Caffrey's at www.flickr.com)

A Guaranteed Return on Your Investment

Over the past year, we’ve all learned that financial investments are never guaranteed. In fact, if we want a huge return, we have to take huge risk. This is the name of the game in the financial world. Of course, these rules do not apply with investments into our children.

In contrast to financial investments, we parents have the opportunity and privilege to make a no risk investment in our children and get a guaranteed overwhelming return. We may not always see the benefits immediately, but they are constantly accumulating. The more we invest in our children, the more return we, and ultimately they, will receive in the end.

Take bedtime reading, for example. This investment takes five to ten minutes per night and will guarantee that your child will have a higher interest in books as he grows up. You can start reading to your child as early as the day he’s born. When I started reading to my son, he was only a couple of months old. He loved to hear my voice and at the same time, unconsciously learned that books were great. Now, he picks up just about every book he sees and reads it. He reads all the time, every day.

Another example of a guaranteed return is with volunteering at your child’s school. For those parents who are blessed enough to be at home during school hours, one hour per week in your child’s classroom is guaranteed to do wonders. It’s been proven that children who have parents involved in their academics from a young age have more security, encouragement and confidence in school learning and relationships. By volunteering in my daughter’s classroom every week, I not only get the privilege of knowing what is going on in class, she enjoys it immensely. My second grader is proud to show her work to me every time I walk into her room. She feels special knowing that all the students know her nice mommy, Mrs. Bielicki. She gets the added benefit that mommy ALWAYS checks to see how she’s doing on her homework and passing her spelling tests. This makes instant rewards possible as I smile and hug her saying, “I’m really proud of you, Sweetie!” The look on her face is return enough, but the benefits of investing in her school days is guaranteed to return benefits beyond my imagination.

One of my favorite examples is showing the children how I invest in others, outside our core family. On a regular basis, they see me taking Grammy to a doctor visit or helping her with her bills or whatever she needs around the house. Not only do these times prove to be a great opportunity to spend time with Grammy, they see what a blessing it is to Mommy to offer her help. Showing my children examples of love and compassion is an investment that will not only mold who they are today, but ultimately they will be more inclined to help others as they grow up. This is one investment I am hoping will come back around when I’m old and need help with driving or doing my bills.

There is no investment more rewarding than what we put into our children. Whether it’s time, affection, assistance with homework, reading at night, or just the good old fashion family time at the dinner table, it’s all worth every minute. The dividends are consistent and sure, whether we see them or not. THAT is guaranteed!

Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden... THINK AGAIN!

Friday’s spring sky was a clear blue. A slight breeze blew the 65 degree air across the green, through the trees and out over the lakes. Our foursome was assigned to start at the twelfth hole on the eighteen-hole course. In a charity golf tournament, each team is assigned a hole where they begin their game. Teams then cycle through the course, ending on whatever hole was before the one they started on.

I took my place for my first ever tee off. Brian offered a couple more tips: feet apart; arm straight; keep your eye on the ball... I swung! The ball rolled a few feet away as I gasped, then giggled and shook my head. Ironically, it felt amazing! I had just earned my amateur title of Golfer. After several swings and misses, I quickly absorbed my flash lessons from the most handsome man on the course.

On one hand, Brian was a great teacher. On the other hand, he was a horrible golf cart driver. At one point, we were inches from the lake while he was looking for a ball. He stood his ground claiming, “Don't worry. These carts are made for this.” I trusted the cart but I struggled with trusting Brian only three inches from the water that threatened my beautifully new yellow and navy golfing outfit.

Since we began on the twelfth hole, we systematically planned to take a quick lunch break when we reached the first hole near the entrance. The cheeseburgers were hot off the barbecue grill, cheese melting down the sides and all. We enjoyed a quick visit with our guests and promptly jumped back into the game. We were now in front of a foursome team of teachers who inevitably won the honorary title of Lowest Golf Score, which earned them the appropriate prize of golf lessons. Lucky girls!

My favorite hole was number seven. The flag was behind a lake with head-on traffic behind a row of trees on the right and a beautiful sliver of lovely green grass on the left. We stood elevated, looking down at three steep slopes dropping down towards the hole behind the water. Knowing that my swing did not have enough power to get my ball over the lake, I set my sights on the small patch of green to the left. I aimed. I tilted my club slightly to the left. I swung two practice swings to make sure my grip and distance were aligned properly. I watched the ball, paying close attention to all I had learned over the past few hours from the greatest teacher on earth. I swung! The ball sailed flawlessly to the exact spot on the green that I aimed for. This was a moment of victory!!! In fact, after everyone on our team had completed their drives, mine was the best. This was a moment I’ll never forget! Beginners luck? I think not.

All in all, the day was delightful. I finally learned why the game of golf was so loved by so many. Other than my seventh-hole success story, my favorite moments were spent holding hands with my darling husband in the golf cart on an amazing spring day in sunny OC, California. What more could I ask for? Oh yeah. I want to go again this weekend, OK?

Rhymers Bug

OK... my brain is spinning in rhymes today and I thought it would be funny to write about in my blog.

This is how my brain is proccessing my day...

My husband's gone, the kids at school.
My four-year-old, her tummy's full.

My daughter's dressed, she finally got
the clothing off that messy spot.

The dog needs out, the dishes done.
The phone just rang. It's her. How fun!

I'll just hang up and finish now
The funny poem about a cow.

Words and letters, rhyme and fun.
I'll end it here... so now, I'm done!

OK... now you know how my day is going...
(I think I hear a lawn mower mowing... )

LOL!!!! Hope you had a good laugh.

Jenni