A letter recently to Dear Abby from “Dear old Dad in Maine” told of a truly “Heartspoken” gift that he had received from his adult children who lived too far away to celebrate with him in person. It was a wonderful reminder that the best gifts are often the least expensive.
His four children gathered their favorite memories of their growing up years and wrote them on small pieces of paper that were folded and put into a small wooden box. In this case, there were 365 so that their father could open one each day, but the number wouldn’t really matter. He couldn’t resist reading them all within two weeks anyway!
Whether you deliver these kinds of memories in this way or through a letter or other means, you can be assured that your father will be warmed by the knowledge that the life he helped to provide for you was filled with cherished recollections for you both, and if you’re collaborating with siblings, your Dad will love that too. I hope I can pull of something similar with my four siblings for our 91-year-old father this year.
This idea certainly doesn’t have to be limited to fathers. Who else in your life brings happy thoughts when they come into your mind? Don’t put off letting them know how much they mean to you.
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What a lovely idea.
My sister has done something somewhat in reverse. For the last ten years she has sent a long letter to one of her children, a son, on his birthday. In the letters she told of her life, chronologically, from her earliest memories to the present. So every year he had to wait another year to see the next installment.
I am sure she sent copies to her other children because she sent me a copy every year. Interestingly, I viewed events in our growing up years quite differently from her point of view.
Isn’t it fascinating how differently siblings recall the events of growing up? We five have experienced the same phenomenon!