Pamela Lau
About the Author

Pamela is an author, teacher, speaker, wife, mom, friend, and Jesus follower who lives in Oregon.

(in)side DaySpring: things we love
& you will too!
Find more at DaySpring.com
(in)side DaySpring:
things we love
& you will too!
Find more at
DaySpring.com
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  1. Pamela,
    I loved this!!! What a family heirloom and legacy. It’s not our “stuff” that our children want when we leave this planet…it’s a piece of us…our legacy that they will cherish. I encourage all of my writing friends to save their posts and journals (if you’re brave) in a safe place so that your children will have a piece of you when you are gone. My daughter told me that was what she would cherish more than anything – my writing – and my Bible that has all sorts of notes, underlines, prayers scribbled in it. Thanks for this uplifting post this am.
    Blessings,
    Bev

  2. Bev, your daughter are the exact same in that manner, I too told my mom I wanted her Bible and notebooks. I also cherish old pots and pans that have been “loved on” through the years.

  3. Pamela, thank you for sharing your story and the legacy of your husband’s mother. Amazing to see simple acts of love continue down through generations.

    • Good Morning, LaToya! I hope my story encourages women to stay close to women who are ahead of them in life! Even if you don’t feel especially close to your mother in law (or mother), there is always something unique to them they can pass along to us! And you are RIGHT, it’s often the most simple acts of love that touch us deeply.

  4. Thanks for a great post! Family is more than people – it’s also the memories that we’ve shared, the traditions, the binds between us. As I am getting ready to get married and start my own family, I am already thinking about what I want to create and pass on for my children. Thanks for a great idea about a cookbook!

  5. Pam, I am so glad you shared this story about your family with us. Your Mother in love reminded me of the Proverbs 31 woman. What a special person she must have been in the lives of those who knew her.
    The cook book idea has really got me thinking….what great gifts of love to those who use it and read to “warm and comfort” them from the inside out! I still have some of my grandma’s handwritten recipes…how sweet it is to “see” her in them 🙂

    • Good Morning! Linda ~
      Yes! My mother in law was an extraordinary woman who never let one day of life pass by without encouraging one of us in her family! It never ceases to amaze me how much homemade food really blesses the people closest to us! Most of us are hungry three or four or five times a day so the gift of food is a fitting choice! I’m challenging myself to plan more surprises for my family and friends this summer! Blessings on your day today!

  6. Hi, Bev! Thank you for the encouragement to gather my post and journal writings. Others have asked me to do the same.

    It is part of our legacy to tell the children down through the the generations what the Lord has done for us, so that they will always fear Him and remember Him, and that they would know and love Him with their whole being!
    Thank you for your words of encouragement here at incourage. You are a blessing to us!

  7. What a beautiful gift to give your daughters and their one-day families. I have only a few recipes from my grandma, and I so wish I had more. The legacy you’re passing on of choosing to remember, and choosing to love speaks deeply to me. 🙂

    Loved your post today. 🙂

    • Good to hear from you, Jeanne! Thank you for your forward vision of our daughters’ “one-day families”. Sometimes I live so focused on the here and and now that I forget how my choices and decisions will impact the generations yet unborn!

  8. Oh my goodness!!
    I love this so much!! All of my grandparents passed when I was very young, so I never got to develop a relationship with them. But, my Mom has recipes from both of my Grandmother’s & her own cooking is such a delight!

    You have inspired me today! We’ll see what comes of it!!

    • Hi! Rachel ~ please let us all know what comes of your inspiration! I’m sure your Mom will love what you create!

  9. Pamela,
    Such a sweet sweet story. I have a few of my mom’s recipes. I cherish and make them for my hubby. That is what most children want–a piece of their parents-pictures, recipes, etc. Memories to look at and reminisce. I made my aging dad a photo album comprised of some of the old old pictures from his childhood. His parents, mom’s parents, farm, etc. He loves looking at it and remembering those times.
    Blessings 🙂

    • Hello! Beth ~
      Don’t you think all the memories, recipes, pictures goes back to our deep yearning for identity? I’m not trying to go too deep here and yet it’s the simple things and the things we enjoy in the daily of life that makes us feel close to one another. What a loving gift you gave to your Dad!

  10. For Christmas I gave our daughter about a dozen of my mother’s recipes which she had handwritten on 3 x 5 cards for me years ago. I made copies for me, and gave our daughter the originals. Not only was she grateful for the recipes, but for the fact they were written in her hand. (What is it about handwriting that’s so special, and particularly connects us to the writer? I’ll have to think on that a bit!) Thank you for a heart-warming story, Pamela.

    • I absolutely agree, Nancy! Not to talk about an unrelated subject but it means so much to me when someone gives me a hand-written note or card! It feels deeply personal. A person’s handwriting tells us about them. Thanks for sharing your own recipe story about your daughter. All of this reminds me how important it is to hold on to certain things and let the rest go!

  11. Lovely story! I’ve been trying to recall some of the memorable stories from my family. And I suggested just this weekend to a lady who wanted to do a cook book, to condense it down to her German family recipes.

  12. Love this story. So sweet and I can almost smell those endearing foods.