Welcome to a place where we can share ideas about grandparenting, especially ways to pass spiritual values and family stories to the next generation.

Mary is the co-author of The Grandparent Connection: 365 Ways to Connect With Your Grandchild's Heart.
Visit www.legacyconnection.org
My photo
Co-author of The Grandparent Connection: 365 Ways to Connect With Your Grandchild's Heart

Friday, August 21, 2009

Stone love and remembering jars


Friday's Grand Connection Fun
by Mary May Larmoyeux

Karen commented earlier this week that her daughter, Tara, tried to sell painted pet rocks when she was a little girl. "Actually," Karen said, "she was quite good at painting rocks."

I thought about Karen's comment when I opened up the September issue of Family Fun. Guess what one of the articles is called? "Stone Love"!

In this article, Barbara Rowley shares how her family has made a tradition of collecting interesting rocks and how they turn them into jewelry, art, games, mementos. etc. They've also played checkers with the stones, written special messages on them, and made a family hobby of looking for heart-shaped rocks.

I really like Barbara's ideas and would like to begin searching for heart-shaped stones with our grands. It would be fun to decorate and date them to remember special occasions and events, perhaps dropping them into a clear plastic jar.

Long-distance grands could collect and decorate their rocks in their own homes and drop them into "a remembering jar" when they visit "Grandma's house." Doing this could open up conversation and create special memories.

Of course, the idea of writing on rocks and using them to help us remember sure isn't new. Moses wrote the Ten Commandments on two stone tablets (Deuteronomy 4:13).

And "Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan. He said to the Israelites, 'In the future when your descendants ask their fathers, What do these stones mean? tell them, Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground...'" (Joshua 4:20-22).

Have a great weekend,
Mary
www.marymaywrites.com

Subscribe to Grand Connection by Email

© 2009 by Mary May Larmoyeux. All rights reserved.
Photo © Artsandsoul | Dreamstime.com

4 comments:

Karen Jordan said...

One year, my daughter's family recorded their thanksgiving messages on small stones and placed them in the large glass jar to read at Thanksgiving. Wouldn't that be a great Thanksgiving centerpiece?

Mary May Larmoyeux said...

Karen, that's a great idea!

Karen Jordan said...

Mary, when I sent my daughter, Tara, your post, she commented, "And now Aidan (her 6-year-old son) loves to paint rocks."

I guess the gift passed down to the next generation.

I thought your readers might like to read her response. Blessings!

Mary May Larmoyeux said...

Karen, thanks so much for sharing what your daughter said!