Do you have a stack of greeting cards that will sit in a precious little stack for the rest of time?
Do you wince when someone in your family spends $4.99 on a greeting card that, let’s face it, will just sit in that precious little stack for the rest of time?
Do you want to treasure your family’s sentiments and generosity, but don’t know how to make the most of that…precious little stack?
Do you see this lovely little black book?
It is the answer to all of your troubles.
Introducing “The Birthday Book“!
My birthday is next week, so I gifted myself a $13 blank book that will house my family’s loving thoughts and wishes on every birthday, Mother’s Day, and “Unofficial Words-of-Affirmation-For-Mom Day”.
Here’s the plan:
On my big day, the kids are going to decorate a page and write a message for me. They’ll use my beloved writing pens, colorful Sharpie pens, stickers, colored pencils, the whole shebang. They’ll record their best wishes, hopes, and dreams for the year to come. We’ll put the date up at the top of the page and they’ll sign their names on the bottom.
I’ll love and admire their work with plenty of ooo’s and ah’s.
Then, I’ll put the book on the shelf.
On Mother’s Day, I’ll take it back out again and place it on the countertop. They’ll scribble, write acrostic poems, jot great memories from the year, and draw colorful flowers. While they do, they’ll look back at what everyone created on my birthday. We’ll love and sigh together.
Then, I’ll put the book back on the shelf.
Over the years, I’ll take it out and put it back so many times that the binding will creak open and the pages will be full of love. We’ll have memorized each person’s messages and treasured the sentiments. We’ll watch as handwriting changes over time, look for the consistent little twirls and doodles that never go away, admire the improvement in composition, and remember the good times, the grateful times, and the blessings.
No more random pile of cards, no more accidentally-recycled masterpieces, no more forgotten loving words.
Instead, every sentiment will be treasured in one beautiful book… to be read and written and read again, over the years.
I snagged a book for my husband, too. We’ll start that on Father’s Day.
With Mother’s Day right around the bend (May 14th!), grab a book and some high quality pens for yourself or a mom you love and enjoy this simple, satisfying tradition. Would you let me know how you make it your own? I’d love to know.
