A Family Tradition

Mary’s Monday Musings to Quilt Encouragement
A Family Tradition

My Mother’s family has a long-established custom of sharing newspaper clippings. They cut out anything from cartoons, to editorials, to society events such as engagement announcements. Putting the clipping in an envelope and adding a letter, the missile was posted to a relative who might be interested in the topic. Often the clipping came with a request to send it on to another relative. Many, many clippings came to me from my mother and aunts, until I had a good size box full of them. I guess there must be a strong clipping gene, because I still clip all sorts of things from recipes to self-help articles to commentaries on society. I don’t send as many off as my relatives did because I’m afraid to appear that I’m correcting someone about whatever the topic is, or offending them, or of just plain being an aggravation. My intent is to share an interest or some other emotion that the clipping arouses. Sometimes the clippings contain a warning or good advice. Often, they end up in my box instead of being passed to another reader.
God help us to know when and what to share with those we love. Help us to be faithful to input into our loved one’s lives that which is useful, but not anything that makes them feel less in any way. Use us to discern when the time is right to inform and when the topic would be welcomed. Thank you for protecting us from good intentions gone amuck.