By Dale Moore |
By Dale Moore |
|
This Sunday, September 12th, is National Grandparents Day. It always falls on the Sunday after Labor Day. One of the most influential persons in my life was my Grandmother. I was fortunate to live within five miles of my both sets of grandparents and so I saw them every week. Some children, mine included, now live hundreds of miles away and see their grandparents once or twice a year. Grandparents! They have all too often become the victims of our transient society. Our families are the poorer because of it. How can you honor your Grandparents on this special day? Let me suggest some ways! 1. If they are still living, plan to visit, take them out to eat, talk about your family heritage. If they are not living close enough to visit, make it a point to call them. 2. Have a family potluck for them and invite as many of their grandchildren as you can get together. 3. Spend time with your children or grandchildren telling (teaching) them about their grandparents and your grandparents. (Kids, take time to spend this one day to spend with the “old folks”. Later, you’ll be glad you did!) 4. If you no longer have a grandparent to visit, adopt one. There are plenty of them in churches, nursing homes and in your neighborhood who would love to have a “family” even for a day. 5. Spend an afternoon helping your children and grandchildren draw a family tree. Get out pictures of the family. Make the pictures live through the stories you tell. Too many of our youth no longer feel connected to their families. Distances and the time demands on everyone’s lives cheat our youth out of their inheritance, a treasure of family experiences. On this day, each of us need to honor our your grandparents; teach our children; strengthen our family. If we do not value the family, we have no right to speak about family values!
And that is my two cents worth… |
