You can’t touch even one memory for a day, but even one memory can touch you for eternity.

I was 25 years old and clueless. So wise, yet so humble, or so I thought . . . but I was so wrong. Ever been there?

My friend, Floyd Woods, had just returned from a Jamaica vacation. And as a world-class saver (aka cheap), I thought to myself, Jamaica? Really? Sure, Floyd had fun, but he has nothing to show for it . . . nothing but memories. What a waste.

Decades later, my quest for “stuff” has been replaced with a quest for something far better, something that lasts for years as well as eternity:  bonding memories. So what did I do to make up for lost time? I got a shiny red Miata convertible, of course. What else would a frugal accountant do, at least once he realizes the power of memories – the tattoos of character?

Memories:  The tattoos of character

Cherished memories are the glue that holds families together and covers over a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8). They have a supernatural, sustaining way of bonding with kids’ hearts, funneling their beliefs, and shaping their dreams. These memories remind us of what matters most, and earn the right to nudge our kids’ rudder without steering their ship.

What memories are you forging? As your kids look back, what stories will they tell . . . stories about all the things you did wrong, or stories about how you instilled a lifetime of memory tattoos – memories that they can’t forget and wouldn’t want to?

For why would an accountant buy a two-seater convertible at age 35? Mid-life crisis? Well, if I live to be 70, then 35 is indeed mid-life. No, other than fun, I got it to make memories. We’d drop the convertible top, crank the tunes, and flap our arms in the air. More importantly, it created one-on-one, just-Dad-and-me time. Laughing. Talking about faith and family. Connecting with them, not correcting them. Making memories they can’t forget and wouldn’t want to.

My Miata was a small way of living out 2 Peter 1:13-15 – stirring up reminders so that kids can recall our life lessons after we’re gone. I look back at how my parents did this. Mom showed me how to serve the least of these, sing at nursing homes, love the unlovely, and respect your spouse. Dad showed me the power of family devotions, serving the needy, sacrificing for family, and spending countless hours playing catch, fishing, hunting, and more. Always together, always making memories of everyday faithfulness.

I wonder: What memories will my kids recall? I know the memories I have of them. I remember Leslie designing her wedding so that her unsaved friends could experience worship. I’ll never forget Josh’s friends raving about his character at his wedding. And I’ll forever be thankful for 50: 50 Pursuits That Matter, a book that Caleb created on Father’s Day, using the 50 blogs that I wrote to help my kids choose their life treasures.

What family memories will your kids recall? What memories do you want them to remember?

Eventually, Anna and I followed the advice of my friend Floyd and created our own Jamaican memories. It was one of the many ways we seared indelible reminders, like tattoos, into our marriage and home. These memories can’t be touched, but they also can’t be covered up, masked over, or scraped away because they’re deep within our soul.

Instead of telling you how to make memories, I want to encourage you to want to. And a great place to start is picking your family’s A-to-Z character qualities. For “M,” you might choose Magnetic, Magnify, Mature, Meaningful, Meditative, Memories, Memorable, Mentor, Merciful, Missional, Modest, More, Motivate, Musical, or something else. If you’ll choose yours, live it out, and explain why to your family, you can make your own indelible memory tattoos.

Then again, at 59 years old, I’ve come to the place of wanting different things in life. I now want to be known by the memories I gel and the stories I tell. Day after day, I want to put skin on the skeletons of my kids’ character through character-crafting memories. They may wear these memory tattoos unknowingly for now, but one day they’ll better understand these tattoos and, even better, they’ll want to create their own memory tattoos in my grandkids.

Then my grandkids can buy their own little convertible . . . and we’ll flap our arms together.

What’s your “M” character quality?

In order to help you pick your “M” word, click here for a Free Printable Workbook, instructions, and 300 sample A-to-Z character qualities to choose from. And for help in learning how to create your own memory tattoos, click here for my book, which has a chapter called Memory Tattoos.

Questions: What indelible memories are you creating that your kids couldn’t forget and wouldn’t want to? What “M” word describes the character you want for your family, and why?