What Matters Most

For the last couple of Family Home Evenings, Ryan came up with the idea of sharing our memory books with our kids. Ryan pulled out his things last week, which included lots of saved artwork, his journals, and other things. The kids loved it.

Tonight was my night. I remember editing my memory things sometime during college and putting what I wanted in a book. That then got edited out and the important things got stuffed in plastic page protectors. So my 12 years of school from first grade to graduation were reduced to all of the awards I had received--I guess I didn't figure my art had any lasting value because it obviously didn't make the cut.

It was interesting going through it with my kids, because I realize that unless there is a ribbon, trophy, or a shiny certificate to acknowledge the accomplishment it doesn't count. The fact that I rocked the ACT? Nothing compared to getting 2nd place in high jump during my 6th-grade field day. The fact was that field day was only the 6th graders, and there were only 30 of us total. Not a lot of competition. But it came with a ribbon, and was therefor much more glamorous than the test that funded my entire college education.

They took turns holding my ribbons, which included ones for going to girls camp, and a solid number of fourth and fifth place ones that were probably in events comprised of four and five people. I compare much more to the guy on "Meet the Fockers" whose parents had his shrine to mediocrity, but because I have colored ribbons my kids thought I was pretty amazing. Maybe I should buy a trophy for myself (think along the lines of Michael Scott's "Worlds Greatest Boss" statue on the opening of The Office), because if I had a trophy that said "World's Greatest Mom", I think my kids would buy into it 100%. Just because it's on a trophy.