One day, when the children were small, we took them on a vacation.  On the way home we stopped to show them the International Airport.   We used the time as an opportunity to delight our children and to let them learn something in a new setting.

Four-year-old Danny, the oldest child, enjoyed spending lots of time learning about farm life.  For one of his favorite projects, he spent time cutting out pictures of tractors and pasting them into a scrapbook.  He discovered that each brand of tractor had a signature color.  For example, John Deere products are green and yellow, the Allis-Chalmers tractors were orange, and International-Harvestor was red, etc.  In his short years on this earth, he became adept at recognizing brands of farm machinery by their colors.

Buddy's eyes were on the red-tailed planes.

At the airport, Danny’s eye’s grew big as he saw the 727s and 747s land  on the runway.  He watched with wonder as they took off.  His eyes were glued on them whenever they taxied near to the observation window.  He did not grow tired of watching those big machines.

Many of the red-tailed airplanes loaded and unloaded passengers where we had a front-row seat.

It had been an exciting day for our little family.  But as the day wore on, we needed to leave the airport and head for home.  We got settled in the car and drove off.

While exiting the big city, Daddy asked the kids, “So, what was the best part of vacation for you?”

Danny blurted out with satisfaction, “The International Airport!”    After a moment of silence this little farm boy added, “Daddy, can we go to the John Deere Airport?”

photo credit: Willamor Media via photo pin cc

For Christmas this past year, I received a uniquely special gift.  It came over several generations.

My daughter learned to crochet while she was still in our home.  My grandmother taught it to my mother, who in turn taught it to me.  I enjoyed it so that I passed it on to my daughters.  Although the craft came down through my side of the family to my daughter, the tools came from her dad’s side.

Great-grandmother's crochet yarn fashioned into an heirloom gift.

Great-grandmother, Julia, graduated from a ladies seminary with a degrees in needlework and piano.  At her death, her daughter, Judy, saved the many patterns, crochet yarn and other resources that she inherited from her mother.  Upon her passing, my husband inherited a portion of these items.  Since we wanted to pass them on to our children as soon as possible, we let them choose those items to which they were drawn.

Details of the Swan

My eldest daughter felt a special inspiration to make doilies for Christmas gifts.  She had a vision to give an heirloom gift before it was made.  She found a special 3-D pattern  resembling and lily-laden pond with 2 swans gracefully swimming on it.  The yarns she used were owned by her Great-grandma, preserved by her Grandma and given to me, her Mom, for Christmas.  I would call that an intergenerational gift.

My daughter’s vision reminds me of our Heavenly Father.  In the beginning, He had the vision to give us fallen creatures the gift of salvation  before it was “finished”.  Ages later, Jesus, on the cross, declared, “It is finished.”  The gift, payment of our sin debt, was finished with His sacrifice.

At Christmas, I received the special gift from my daughter.

God’s gift of salvation can be received,too.  If this is not a gift you have received, it is still available.  As Jesus said, “It is finished.”  It is a gift meant for you.