If you have a daughter, then here’s an awesome activity to begin. (It works really great if she’s in elementary school.) And although it might work with your younger son, for some reason it was only a smashing hit with my daughter. This might just be a “girl thing.”
I began a tradition with Sara called Bonding Boomers, little acts of kindness that let the other one know that we cared about building a healthy mother/daughter relationship. These expressions of love weren’t anything big or expensive, but simple gestures like stapling a piece of candy to an index card and placing it under the pillow that read, “Sweet dreams.”
Most of us love surprises. In fact, that’s what made Bonding Boomers so much fun. When I’d least expect it – POW – there was a Bonding Boomer – a flower from the yard on my desk or a post-it-note with a smiley face and Bible verse stuck on my dashboard. And Sara often found little boomers, as well: a package of M&M’s in the foot of her tennis shoe or a Dollar Store goodie taped to her bathroom mirror. When she graduated from High School, I thought, “Well, she’s a grown woman now. It’s time to retire Bonding Boomers.” But NOOOO! She wanted them to continue. So they did.
Today Sara’s almost 30, married, and expecting baby Max in December. And though some seasons of Bonding Boomers were rather lean between us (like some of those rocky teenager years), the tradition always seemed to resurface. Just last week I got a call, “Mama, it’s BONDING BOOMER time. Be at my house Saturday morning at 11:00.” So with great anticipation I arrived right on time, only to discover she had arranged a private massage for me in her living room, complete with the scent of pumpkin candles and the fragrance of worship music.
I lay there thinking, “Lord, thank you for the ministry of Bonding Boomers over the years.” Indeed, the significance of being deeply blessed by another is a powerful force. I want to thank Sara for the boomers over the years. God’s Word promises that the person who sows seeds of kindness enjoys a perpetual harvest in their own heart.
Friend, it’s actually never too late to start Bonding Boomers with someone you care about. Go ahead. Interrupt someone’s busy day with an unexpected message of love. You never know where it will lead.
