Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Hand-Me-Downs

I heard a song on the radio the other day that talked about a girl with "a hand-me-down name." Actually, I have heard it almost every day for the past month or so. Which means that I have been thinking about the term "hand-me-downs" for the past month...every. single. day. Maybe I am just really strange but have you ever thought of what that term means?

For some, it may evoke an image of old clothes from an older sibling, an old beaten up baseball mitt from years past, a broken down dinosaur of a car that each of your siblings drove before you, old books, furniture, blankets, stuffed animals, toys, and appliances. It might provoke emotions such as resentment, disgust, and embarrassment. To me, it is so sad that such a beautiful term has such negative thoughts and feelings attached to it.

I don't picture any of those material objects. Rather, the term "hand-me-downs" inspires me. Let me explain before you chalk this nonsense up to no sleep. When I hear those 3 words strung together, I think of my family, the Gospel, hope, beauty, laughter, inspiration, joy, inheritance, and responsibility. In my mind, I picture my mom--to me, she handed down her sense of humor, her chin, her nose, her love for life, her creativity, her passion. I picture my dad--he handed down his eyes, his hard work ethic, his love, his compassion, his understanding, and his passion for scripture reading. Most importantly, they both handed down the Gospel.

Are you following me yet? Let me explain further. I picture a high school teacher and the love of learning and the true meaning of listening she handed down to me. I picture the Founding Fathers and this great nation and the Constitution that they have handed down to me. My mind flashes with people who have touched and influenced my life, whether they know it or not. I have been blessed with some of the greatest "hand-me-downs" in the universe.

Finally, I picture future generations, I picture people in my life now, people that will come into my life, people that will leave my life and I wonder, "What am I handing down? Are my hand-me-downs worth keeping?" The following links will take you to a hand-me-down I have been given that I would like to pass on.

Hand-Me-Down and Pass me on.

What hand-me-downs do you plan to pass on to others?  Is it hope? A love a life? A passion? Is it something that will continue to grow and is worth handing down? I pray every day that what I have to offer is worth passing on.

2 comments:

  1. Life is full of "Hand-me-ups" too! I am thankful for your wonderful gift of writing and thought-provoking blogs! I love you, Biz!

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  2. I want to hand down love!! :) free love

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