toy store

Last week four generations of the Brown family celebrated my grandmother's 90th birthday with great fanfare, but this certainly wasn't the only memorable party we've had in Mutt's honor. When she turned 75 - back in the day when Chaney was her only great-grandchild - we found a way to honor her and help others at the same time. 

Every December the Nashville Baptist Association operates a toy store at Shelby Avenue Baptist Church for needy families who live in the 37206 zip code, and Baptist churches across the city collect toys for several weeks in advance of this event to stock the shelves. In conjunction with this effort, we decided that instead of buying gifts for my grandmother that she didn't really need, we would instead purchase gifts for people who really were in need. Family members were instructed to purchase toys for Mutt that reminded them of her, and they had to be prepared to share an explanation for why they chose a particular toy at the party as Mutt unwrapped the gift. 

The party was a huge success, and Mutt thoroughly enjoyed unwrapping the toys and listening to our stories. A few days after the party, 3-year-old Chaney helped me haul all the toys into the church and place them in the collection box. This was a great life-lesson for Chaney and proved to be highly appropriate way for my family to honor a woman who is constantly on the lookout for opportunities to help those who are in need.