Friday, October 8, 2010

Five Things on Friday - Hope Chest Edition

Raise your hand if you had/have a hope chest. I didn't. I mean, I had a lovely chest and a lot of hopes, but I didn't have linens and silverware squirreled away waiting for the moment I sauntered down the aisle for wedded bliss. I was thinking the other day about how it would be nice to start one for my girls.

Sort of a modern hope chest, though, one whose opening depends on setting up house rather than on marriage. Only instead of putting in embroidered pillow cases and silver candlesticks, I would put in things like a super cozy couch blanket and plastic wine glasses, you know, the things that make you happy.

Except there's so much I couldn't possibly fit inside it. So, in a fit of absolutely horribly, terribly, mushy-gushy madness, I present

Five Things I Wish I Could Put in a Hope Chest for my Girls:

1. Sheets of Confidence - Imagine if you could just wrap yourself up in confidence when you are out there battling those life battles. It's so easy to feel insignificant or insufficient. I look at my girls and their pure, unadulterated brilliance and I wish I could ensure that they would never feel like less.

2. Grace-ware - Life will surely gift them with things they don't want and can't use. Meeting those times with grace is all it takes to find the joy in the pain. There are as many ways to show grace as pieces in a chest of silver. I hope they always find the right piece.

3. A Courage Comforter- Some days the best you can do is to conjure enough courage to get out of bed. I know my girls and they are full of strength, all they need is the courage to use that strength.

4. Hope and Faith Shakers - Hope to help them persevere and faith to carry them when they can't any longer. Sprinkled liberally over everything.

5. Mixing Bowls of Joy - As long as joy is an ingredient in everything you do, life will be pretty good, even when it's pretty bad.

What would you like to put in your kids hope chests?

6 comments:

Cathy G. said...

A large box of common sense. Because it doesn't matter how smart you are if you don't have the common sense to come in out of the rain.

Suze said...

I second everything you and Orlandel said!

Have you read "Blueberry Girl" by Neil Gaiman? Someone gave that to Anya, and she's not quite old enough for it, but it's a great book.

ann said...
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Steve said...

A magic mirror which when they looked into it let them see themselves as I see them. They too could then be awestruck by their amazing qualities of which I am so proud and by how surrounded they are by love. (Yes its mushy but you started it!)

Jenn-Jenn, the Mother Hen said...

Oh, I love this post!!!!

Jessi said...

Mom - That's a good one!

Suze - No, but I love Gaiman, so I'll definitely look into that.

Steve - Awww... So sweet!

Jenn - Thanks!