Reclaiming the Read-Aloud and Other Blessings

“Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.” Deuteronomy 4:9

Hi, Lovely! How are you? 2020 Has been such a crazy year, right? With the upheaval across the globe, home quarantines consuming our spring and parts of our summer, and the continuous unknowns of careers, education, and church fellowship, I know it has been a different—if not difficult—year for everyone. Despite the uncertainties and ‘new normal’ for us, there have been many silver linings that have shone brightly amid the dark clouds of this worldwide Coronavirus and other crises: Unhindered family time, Abundant rest, New perspectives.

I was reminiscing this week about some sweet moments that I keenly recall from my childhood and adolescence, and I was thinking about how these memories have shaped some of my family’s habits over the years. One thing that I distinctly remember was crowding around my dad each evening in the tiny Noah’s Ark bedroom that I shared with three other pajama-clad siblings while Dad read stories from our colorful book of Bible heroes. We were all so young—Dad included, but that time will be forever etched in my mind and heart. 

As we grew and our family grew, it was Mom who continued the tradition of real-aloud stories each afternoon or evening. We read about missionaries who traveled to the far reaches of the earth. We read History-based fiction like Across Five Aprils. We read heart-warming fiction such as Homer Price, and we read a myriad of other wonderful books over the years. Listening to my mom’s voice, her eyes filling with tears as we listened to miracles or heartache in missionary villages or laughing at her as she read something that made her laugh so hard that she could hardly get the words beyond her hilarious laughter, was truly what I treasured. 

While there were dishes to be done, laundry to be folded, and numerous other pressing matters, both Mom and Dad chose to consistently spend that time with us. Without even realizing it, they were instilling in each of their children the joy of togetherness as we sprawled across the living room furniture and floor; listening and feeling deeply as they read aloud. This tradition lives on in our home today with our four children, and I am so blessed by the example my parents set years ago.

Friend, what are some things that your parents, grandparents, or another mentor did well? What traditions made home feel like home? Did you bake cookies in the kitchen, play basketball in the driveway, or make blanket ‘forts’ in the family room? During a time where togetherness at home can often turn into TV, electronic gaming, or mindlessly scrolling on a smart device, choose to reclaim the read-aloud or other blessings from your childhood or start a new weekly tradition! Unsure where to begin? Ask the Holy Spirit to inspire you as only He can.

With Love,

Bek Measmer and the Help Club for Moms Team

Bek Measmer

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