I have a grandson who will soon be turning 18. I thought buying a birthday present for him would be very easy.
Why? Because he loves Legos and goodness knows, the sheer variety of things to be built with Legos is endless.
Imagine my dismay, when he nixed my idea quite succinctly. I take it that he is over that stage.
Oy – this meant I would really have to put major thought into my present. So I wracked my brain and here are the three items I came up with:
ITEM #1
Nine Things You Should Never Forget
- Call your parents more often than you think you should.
- Your family will always be your home base.
- Don’t ever forget how important your two biggest strengths are: Loyalty and Kindness.
- Keep your best qualities ever present: being helpful and being thoughtful.
- I have noticed these qualities in you too: treating people with respect, using good judgment and having quiet strength.
- Surround yourself with friends who make you laugh and who revel in your success too.
- Be the person who goes up to talk to the person who is standing alone.
- Learn one new vocabulary word a week.
- Take notice of things you almost didn’t do.
Nine More Things
You Should Never Forget
- Take time to read something funny each day.
- Collect quotes that resonate with you (perhaps using the journal I have enclosed).
- The richest people aren’t always the ones with the most money. They are the ones with the most meaningful relationships.
- Possessions are great, but collecting people is what endures.
- Just because someone is old and past their prime, don’t discount their hard-won wisdom.
- Treat everyone with respect – especially the little guy.
- Take care of yourself – the greatest gift is good health.
- Be grateful. Be grateful. Be grateful. Gratitude changes your perspective in the healthiest of ways.
- Honor and preserve your family’s rituals, traditions and values and may you eat a little steak every single day.
(I wanted this part of his 18th birthday present to be Eighteen Things You Should Never Forget, but I couldn’t figure out how to correctly format at #10.)
I printed out both sections on stiff paper and then soldiered on to the next part of his 18th birthday present.
ITEM #2
We had just celebrated a milestone event in our family. So I took the latest picture of our whole crew assembled together and put it in a neutral colored, 8 by 10 inch frame. And I made sure it could be hung or be placed free standing.
ITEM #3
I’m a lifelong writer so I couldn’t help myself. The last item I gave was a leather-bound journal and a pen. With high hopes, I wrote the following inscription on its first page:
July 31, 2026
Dear Grandson,
Today is your 18th birthday.
I hope that you will start recording a few thoughts, observations and momentous moments here. You won’t be sorry. You will have something meaningful to look back on and something to pass down to YOUR children someday.
When you run out of space, ask me (if I’m still around) to buy you another journal – which I will gladly do. If I’m not, please honor my memory and buy yourself one.
Grandson, here’s a sample entry which I thought was always attributed to British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in the darkest days of World War II. When I attempted to authenticate it, good old ChatGPT said that exact quote could not be authenticated. But Chat did go on to say that the quote captures the spirit of his leadership during the war – when Britain stood virtually alone again the Nazis – with its cities being constantly bombed, and their civilians dying by the thousands.
Here’s the quote of encouragement:
When you’re going through Hell,
keep going
I hope you will hold that quote close. And I pray you will very seldom have to use it.
Happy 18th Birthday, Grandson.
I love you,
Nana
Why have I published the above?
- Because we are all looking for meaningful ways to impart our hard-earned wisdom to our grandkids.
- However, eight hours before his birthday began, I had an epiphany: If I REALLY wanted my gift to be appreciated, I better include some cold, hard cash. And I did.
- Feel free to use this, adapt it, ignore it, delete it, file it away or COMMENT ON IT!
And…Keep Preserving Your Bloom,
