He established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers to teach to their children; that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, so that they should set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, and keep His commandments; Psalm 78:5-7 (Revised Standard Version)
The ancient Israelites were instructed to preserve their heritage for future generations. Parents were to teach faithfulness and godliness through the lessons and examples of those who had gone before. Yet it is often difficult in the midst of busy family life to preserve memories, especially in a thoughtful way which can testify to what God has done in our lives... In our family we have used several ideas to create family keepsakes. Here are a few ideas which may help you get started.
A Family Photo Album:
We took some of our favorite photographs of our family and put them in a single album. Each page has a theme, such as "Newborn photos", and each child appears on each page. We added a Bible verse, line of poetry, or verse from a hymn that was appropriate for each page. Click here for a list of Quotes and Bible Versus on Parenting and Children
A Family Memory Book:
Another idea was given to us by some friends in our church who sent a simple questionnaire to their extended family members. When everyone had sent in his responses, the "editor" typed them by topic, added photographs and quotes (like the ones above) and made a copy of the final product for everyone in the extended family. Click here for a blank letter we created for this purpose