One of my goals for SandwichINK is to provide encouragement for all you wonderful Sandwich Generation Senior Home Care Givers and Grandparents, as well as myself. When I spotted the Word-Filled Wednesday meme, I thought, “What an encouragement for all of us.” After spending the last few evenings reading the various sites’ entries, I have to say, “WHAT A BLESSED ENCOURAGEMENT FOR ALL OF US!”

Each night I would spend a few minutes enjoying the various photos and reading the verses and devotionals and God would lift my spirits, give rest to my soul, and a couple of times He even used them to point out some weak areas that needed fine-tuning. My favorite was the adorable picture of the ostrich with the Bible verse Ephesians 4:29:

Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.

or as the Good News Translation puts it,

Do not use harmful words, but only helpful words, the kind that build up and provide what is needed, so that what you say will do good to those who hear you.

I’m using it to remind me to speak helpful words to others, even when life is throwing me one frustration headache after another!!!

I’m going to print out my favorites each Wednesday to make some Words of Encouragement booklets using these wonderful inspirational Bible verses for my grandkids and I to enjoy reading together.

What a great way to put into practice Deut. 6:7:

“You shall teach [God’s Words"] diligently to your [grandkids] and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.”

What were your favorite photos and Bible verses? We’d love to hear. Also, be sure to sign up for the SandwichINK free email for more info, grandkid craft ideas, and encouragement!

It’s an oldie AND a goldie idea that I know well, yet often forget. When my grandson and I came up with it together today, I thought I’d share it with you as well.

Story writing and story telling have an excellent track record for helping our grandkids of all ages. It takes work and time but both are usually quite enjoyable.

Sit down with one grandkid at a time, along with some pencils, colored pencils, markers, and/or crayons. You’ll also need some paper, lined or unlined or both.You can start with the picture they draw, a story they tell you, or even a story starter you give them.

Our first project consisted of my grandson drawing pictures of his favorite superhero. Then he told me about the picture and I printed out what he said. We put together a four-page story, along with a title page, dedication page to his secretary – yours truly, and the date. This not only gives us a fun memory together and a great project for homeschooling programs; it also gives us a baseline each year of the changes in his writing, drawing, and creativity skills.

For our second project, we reversed the process. This time my grandson told me his story. I wrote it out and he decorated it with pictures. When done, we numbered the pages, stapled it all together and sat down to enjoy it as we read it.

All three grandsons enjoyed both books for their nap time story time, along with their daily Bible story. As “editor,” I did make an occasional suggestion. Some they loved, some they turned thumbs down on. I was very pleased they liked my ideas of adding a spiritual component to their superhero tale. By talking about their hero loving God and drawing on His strength in their quest to help others, they realize that God is even BIGGER than any superhero ever could be and it becomes a springboard to a wide variety of important discussions.

All in all, this project was great educational fun for all my grandkids and myself and helped us accomplish some of Deuteronomy 6:7, “You shall teach [God’s Word] diligently to your [grand]sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.”