Recent Reflections - March 2018: Heritage

This is the third Recent Reflections post of 2018.  Recent Reflections goes live the third Friday or Saturday of each month.  Each Recent Reflections post covers something that I'm reflecting on.  If you'd like to share a post with a similar theme, feel free to leave a comment with a link to your post, and I'll hop on over and leave a comment (and maybe some other readers will, too).

This month, I will be reflecting on heritage.

My favorite back-to-school picture for this year of my kiddos.

Our children have inherited a lot of things from us.  The boys are both growing very tall, which is a trait they get from both sides of the family.  My oldest is built more like me and some of my cousins, my middle kid is built like my brother and his dad and his dad's dad, and my youngest seems to be built like my husband's grandma (his mom's side) for now.  If you look at them at different angles or at different times, you see both sides of the family pretty equally.  It's amazing how many people tell me they look like me, and then how many other people tell me they look like their dad.  I like to think they have the best of both of us.  They definitely all have my husband and my sense of humor as evidenced by the picture above. :)

Beyond the obvious, their is also the lesser known things they have inherited.  All of the kids are named after people important to us, and people who we believe they can look up to in some way.  We tell them often why they have the names they have, and that it is important for them to have "good names" (reputations).  Proverbs 22:1 (KJV) says, " A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold."  We always remind them that they will be remembered by the lives they lived, and we want them to be remembered as honorable, God-fearing, God-loving people who did what was right!  We'd much rather they have "good names" than riches any day!

Just like our children inherit the bad with the good (i.e. my oldest has my Hashimoto's and my other two are heterozygous for Factor V Leiden like me), they can also learn bad habits vs. good habits from us.  We parents pass down all of our traits - which, along with things like thoughtfulness, selflessness and being a great hostess, can include things like bad tempers, laziness and gossiping - if we aren't careful.  It is so important that we remember that there are always little eyes and ears watching and listening, and that our children will do what we do before they will do what we say.

What type of legacy are you leaving for your children?  What type am I leaving?  When your family and friends think of you, do they say your name in a good light or bad?

I want Proverbs 31:28 (KJV) to be true of me: "Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her."  That is the legacy and heritage I want to leave behind - a Godly mother whose life is worth of praise and emulation. 

I truly hope this post has been a blessing to your heart!  What has God done in your life lately to bless you?  What are you reflecting on?

Have a wonderful weekend!

(This post was originally posted on my original site, Fibro, Fit and Fab!)