Contents of an Old Storage Tub

Among all the plastic storage tubs in my life, there is one that moves from house to house without its contents ever changing. It’s the one that carries all my old journals and Bibles. Do I ever read them? No. Do I ever think I should toss them out? Yes. Will I toss them? Probably not.

I’m currently reading through my mom’s old red leather-bound Bible. Some of her notes are dated, and those dates go all the way back to 1979. She has lots of verses underlined too. She was a student of the Word, still is.

It’s good to see what my mother valued when I was an itty-bitty person. It’s good to see that she kept this one Bible all these years. A treasured book that moved from suitcase to suitcase, then to storage box, sitting years at a time in more than one garage. Some of the pages are missing, obviously torn judging by the angle. Other pages have permanent scribbling, all results from one of us Baucum kids seated on her lap no doubt.

More than the history of this one item, more than the curiosity of reading over what was treasured, I see the reminder that what I’m investing in today will be evident to my kids tomorrow.

Every time my oldest son's nose catches the rich aroma of chuck roast wafting through the air, he makes his way to the kitchen and takes a peek through the glass lid of my slow cooker. Instead of saying something like, "Oh, I can't wait for dinner Mom!" He invariably asks, “Is that for us, or for someone else?” His utter disappointment when I say "someone else" never fails. (Should I just buy another crockpot and make double every time?) 

My kids know that my dollars and cooking are not always expended on them, as much as they might wish to have for themselves. They know that we deliver meals or send gifts often. That is just a part of our family lifestyle. It is not strange or out of the ordinary. I’m glad they see what giving of our time, the labor of our hands looks like. One of these days it'll be their turn. 

I guess they will be the ones to help decide what to do with the contents of my plastic storage tub in the garage.