There’s a proverb, according to the Aramaic translation, which reads: “A house is built by wisdom and by understanding it is entirely put in good order. And the inner chambers are filled by knowledge with every possession, honor, and delight.”
But it’s not brick and motor, cabinets and furniture, or trinkets of one kind or another that are here referred to.
That last phrase, alternatively translated, is a reference to children and grandchildren, described in this same proverb as “rare and beautiful treasures.”
Rare and beautiful treasures are not furnishings but family, not guest-only porcelain china but every day present precious children.
One day his giggles – tickled till he gasped for air – will be but echoes bouncing off the walls.
One day his fist-held crayon drawings – scribbled caricatures of mom from his eyes – will bring tears as the pages of the scrapbook are turned.
One day that first fish ever caught when he was just three years old – then to him a lunker of rather significant proportions given his big, proud smile as he posed with his prize – will look suspiciously like the same fish a decade later. Same fish, same smile, same tousled hair.
One day she hugged her little boy before bed and the next day – this day – she hugged the little boy who woke up as a big man.
And so it was that one day – this day – she redid her makeup five times before heading out the door.
Because on this day, it’s his birthday.
Happy 18th Birthday Jacob!
Thank You for your nostalgic & sweet memory that rings very true also for me & my husband as we think of our adult son, daughter, 3 grandsons & today await the birth of our first great-grandson in March of 2025!