Granee’s Brag Book

To me, brag books are defined as a small photo album of “cute photos a grandmother shows to anyone who will look” but I just discovered they are more.

Of course, I DO have lots of cute photos of our two granddaughters (Anja Hope was born just last Thursday!) that I’d love to show you when we meet. And, not having seen our 3 daughters and their spouses since August, 2019, I’m VERY HAPPY to extend the brag book idea to photos of my daughters!

But did you know that Shutterfly (a popular site for photo prints and gift items) defines a brag book as

a collection of graphic elements, like pictures, copy and embellishments, thoughtfully placed together to build the best story about those things you love the most. Traditionally brag books are used by professionals in job interviews to best position themselves as the best candidate for the job.

So, yes, I love my family “best” and am always happy to share stories of my family. I do struggle with the word “brag”, though. It seems to be connected to boasting… and I wonder about the suitability of boasting in my family – seems a little off-kilter, right? And I remember the poem from Isaac Watts’ When I Survey the Wondrous Cross

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God!
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.

And I ponder the words of Paul to the Corinthian church…

but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses— though if I should wish to boast, I would not be a fool, for I would be speaking the truth; but I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me. So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

And as much as I delight in family and grandchildren, you won’t find me with a Granee’s brag book -I carry a phone! 🙂 – you can hear me boast of my weaknesses – realizing my all-too-frequent failures to love well, and acknowledging my tendencies to be quick to speak and slow to listen. And I boast, that the power of Christ may rest on me.

Praise be to God!

Thank you, too, for your prayers for our safe return to the US! We arrived on Wednesday, Jan 12, and have seen each of our daughters at least once, and welcomed the arrival of our second granddaughter! We hope to connect with many of you this spring-summer once the biting edge of the winter Northeast weather has softened a bit and we’ve reconnected with this American life.

 

 

2 thoughts on “Granee’s Brag Book”

  1. I always look forward to your updates and insight. Welcome back! I will be praying for your season here in the states. Look forward to connecting with you. Congratulations on the arrival of your grand baby!

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.