Inherited Good Works

A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children…

 (Proverbs 13:22)

In a strange way, our family life changed for the better during the summer of 2012. When my father-in-law passed unexpectedly, we had to drive from Texas to Indiana to make the final arrangements. Typically, our preferred method of travel for any trip over four hours was to fly; but with no notice, the tickets were ridiculously expensive in both dollars and airline points, so we elected to drive. That trip was the first time in over five years that we were confined in a car together for that many hours.

In those five years, a lot changed in our family. We used to entertain our son with videos; but on that trip, he entertained himself with the music on his IPod or with video games. We used to have to bring music to avoid constantly searching for radio stations, but on that trip we had satellite radio. We used to be in a rush to get from point A to point B, but on that trip, we took the time to see and talk about the sites along the way. As a family, we have always traveled together, but on that trip, we remembered the importance of passing down stories, singing songs, and creating family memories and traditions.

In the years since, our family summer trips have taken us to Nashville, returning through Phenix City, to visit another branch of the family tree; to Washington D.C., to visit many of the national treasures, including watching the fireworks from the National Mall and visiting the King Memorial. The trip to DC triggered a new tradition: on our subsequent travels, in addition to mainstream museums and aquariums, we would tour and take pictures at lesser known memorial parks. So while we were visiting Birmingham last summer, we went to see the historic 16^th Street Baptist Church, and we introduced our son to my favorite Temptation, making a stop to take pictures at the Eddie Kendrick Memorial Park. This year’s must-sees include stopping in Knoxville to visit the 12 ft bronze statue of Alex Haley, my muse for journaling my story, and returning to the Augusta area to see our first house, as well as visit the slave pillar and the James Brown statue, erected after we moved.

Indirectly, my father-in-law is responsible for this renewed sense of family traditions. It’s funny, no matter how many times we offered, he would never fly to visit us. He preferred to take his time and drive his pickup truck. I did not get it then, but now, I understand. What family customs or memories are you passing down to your children, that prayerfully, they will pass along to their children?  Feel free to comment or send me an email to latanyua.robinson@gmail.com. If you like this post and want to catch up on some of my previous discussions, please visit the full Purposed Work blog at http://ltr-latrobe-mfg.blogspot.com/.