The other day I was getting ready to store a crib that had been my father’s. Larger than a bassinet but smaller than a regular crib, the crib has wheels and can be easily moved from room to room. It was used as a “day crib”- perfect size for a home’s first floor and putting the baby down for a nap during the day. It was originally used for my dad, then all of his children and most of the grandchildren. It is now being used for the great-grandchildren. I need to repaint it and to spruce it up, but in general it is in great shape and will be available for the next generation.

As I was unscrewing the legs, I noticed that over the years, it had been fixed up as needed: new screws, another layer of paint, new wheels, new mattress, netting affixed to the sides (no gaps in the rungs). In some ways it reminds me of the philosophical question of grandpa’s axe. We call it grandpa’s old axe, but if we have replaced the head and the handle, is it still grandpa’s axe?

But what was clear by the various improvements, was that there was/is no ownership of the crib. Only that one becomes the steward of it- to take care of it and try and leave it in better shape than the last owner.

My parents definitely believed in that adage. Whether one borrowed an item (though that was frowned upon), used something of someone else’s, or even visited a home, store, public building or space, we were taught that one should leave a place better than one found it. I remember many a vacation when we were told to leave the house and wait in the car as mom finished cleaning the rented cottage. Never mind that cleaning was part of the bill- although in later rentals we always received a discount because of the way my mom left the place. While I recognize it as pride, it is not a bad practice. Imagine if everyone truly practiced it- there would be no signs for littering fines.

Recently, we were returning from a get-away weekend to Canada. (One of the many benefits of living in the Northeast). On the Canadian Broadcast Channel they were interviewing Jane Goodall. She is an incredible 89 years young and sharp as a tack. Generally I do not like listening to interviews with conservationists/environmentalists. Not that I disagree with them, but that I find it so depressing. Many times the news is the same- that we are heading to disaster and there is nothing we can do. Yet, this was a fascinating interview filled with hope. Many things she said were worthwhile and notable, namely that our future is in our children/grandchildren and that we can slow down and begin to turn back to tide of lost biodiversity.

What struck me the most- besides her acknowledgement of a Greater Being in charge- is that she sees our roles as stewards of the earth. Yes. We enjoy it while we are here, but we need to leave it better for the next generation. It doesn’t stop with us.

I wonder, do we do that as a nation? While we value the future and future technologies, it seems we do so at a cost. We seem to be more interested in the short gain rather than the long haul. What if politicians truly wanted to leave office with a better/improved state of the nation?

How about as individuals? Do we leave a place better than we found it? Put another way- do we leave people feeling “better than we found them”? Are they blessed because we have been together? Do we leave people in a better way (physically, emotionally, spiritually)?

Being a steward of the future is being the caretaker of heirlooms. Merriam Webster defines heirlooms: something of special value handed down from one generation to another. Certainly the crib is something of special value. We honor it and by association, our ancestors, by caring for it, improving it and knowing that it is not ours. Items that we value and hand down from one generation to another are not necessarily the heirlooms of Antiques Roadshow but heirlooms that we want to preserve, protect and ultimately improve. Yes there are physical heirlooms like our family crib but also our physical environment. The way we tend to to our environment will be handed down to the next generation.

We also have emotional and spiritual heirlooms: truth, goodness, honesty, integrity, faith, hope, love. Ideas and beliefs that are valuable to us as individuals and society.

The value of leaving a place better than we found it is also a special value. There are many ways we can do that and doesn’t take much effort: picking up our trash; moving a grocery cart to its stable; cleaning our curbs and keeping our storm drains free from debris/leaves; walking an errand instead of driving in a car; eating less meat per week; paying attention to our use of precious resources.

We can also do it through our “blessing” of people. One of the most important and easy ways is to pray: for those we meet; for our neighborhood; for teachers and coaches; the service workers we see everyday- salesclerks, service personnel. We bless others when we are being authentic - sharing our lives, the good and the not so good. Blessings can be simple words of encouragement or small thoughtful gestures. It’s a baked good, a cup of coffee or tea and a chin wag. One of the most important heirlooms/blessings we can give our family and loved ones is an introduction to God through our personal relationship with the Creator. The value of leaving an area better than I found it was incorporated into my core, not through my mother mentioning it over and over again, but rather through her actions of doing it. My prayer is that my actions in my relationship with God will be noticed by others- that if I, a total hot mess of an individual, can have a relationship with the God of the Universe, so can they.

Blessing others is easy if we put our selves in someone else’s shoes. Jesus reminds us how to bless others through his words: Do unto others as you would have done unto you.

What about you? Any family heirlooms? What are they? How are you stewarding them? What about non-tangibles? Special values that you want to hand down from generation to generation?

As we approach the holiday times, perhaps it is a good time to reevaluate our heirlooms. What is special to keep and how do we keep it for the next generation?