Earlier today, my husband and I drove to Alpena to pick up our fresh Thanksgiving turkey from Perch’s IGA.

As I hurried back to the car, a childhood memory danced through my mind.

I was playing with my siblings beneath an apple tree in the field where the store now stands. My mother was gathering apples to make applesauce and pies. My dad stood on the back of our station wagon, reaching upward for the crimson fruits dangling from the outstretched branches. It was a beautiful fall day with a gentle breeze. The leaves beneath our feet crunched as we ran about.

This long-lost memory warmed my heart.

Feeling nostalgic, we decided to drive through the nearby Owens Park subdivision, which holds a plethora of childhood memories for me. My siblings and I spent many happy holidays at my grandparents’ home on Princeton Avenue.

It was there that we learned to enjoy shrimp with horseradish-laden cocktail sauce. We discovered that black olives fit neatly on our fingertips, enabling us to consume them in quantity. And we tentatively sampled my grandmother’s famous liver pate, eventually deciding we liked it.

I cannot taste any one of those food items without feeling that thread of connection to my grandparents and their influence in my life. I learned so many important values from them and often reflect on how blessed I was to have them in my life.

My grandmother taught me to practice good posture, along with the importance of social graces and good etiquette. Her examples of how to act “lady-like” and polite have stayed with me through the years and have been passed on to my three daughters.

I can bring to mind multiple life lessons, values, and virtues deposited into my heart and mind by one or more of my grandparents during my growing-up years.

One set of grandparents lived just a few blocks from the church they attended. Each Sunday morning, they would walk hand-in-hand to church, setting a consistent example of faithfulness and spiritual discipline.

“We will not hide these truths from our children; we will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord, about his power and his mighty wonders (Psalm 78:4).”

We recently joined two of our grandchildren for Grandparent’s Day at their school. It was our fifth year participating in that wonderful event.

The gym was filled with grandparents and great-grandparents, all eagerly watching for their grandchildren to file onto stage. What I found most endearing were the responses of each child as they eagerly searched for and then spotted their family members in the audience. Smiles of love and pleasure spread across their faces as they gave a happy wave in the grandparents’ direction.

Each year, we come home with a renewed awareness of the important role we fill in our grandchildren’s lives and are reminded of how deeply they enrich our lives.

From generation to generation … what a divine design.

“Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts; let them proclaim your power (Psalm 145:4).”

Yet, I believe that the impact of each of our lives goes well beyond family lines.

Yes, we have the opportunity and privilege to be examples and influencers within our close relationships.

But, just like a stone thrown into a pond, the impact of our life sends ripples out much farther than we realize.

The way we live is seen by many. The choices we make speak loudly. Our words and actions write a letter, and it is read by the others around us — be they children, youth, young adults, married couples, coworkers, neighbors, or our peers.

“These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up (Deuteronomy 6:7).”

Many people do not have good influencers in their lives. Unfortunately, not all families are stable. Values and virtues are not always held in high regard in today’s culture.

I find that many people are looking for examples and are longing for guidance. Oftentimes, they recognize that their choices are taking them in a bad direction but are confused about how to make a course correction.

From generation to generation is not limited to family lines — we can be influencers in so many incredible ways and potentially impact a life for eternity.

“…make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:5-8).”

Michelle Smith serves alongside her husband, Gary, as part of the leadership team of New Life Christian Fellowship. She founded Purely Women Ministries with the purpose of helping women of all ages discover their true identity as women of God. She can be reached at michelle@newlifealpena.org.