Do something grand
Marian McQuade, an elder rights activist from West Virginia, is credited with the founding of Grandparents Day. Having a heart for the elderly, she wanted a family day set aside to bring honor to grandparents and to raise awareness of the strength, information and guidance that older adults offer to their families and grandchildren.
In 1978, President Jimmy Carter proclaimed the first Sunday after Labor Day, to be the annual National Grandparents Day.
A part of the proclamation reads: “Grandparents are our continuing tie to the near past, to the events and beliefs and experiences that so strongly affect our lives and the world around us. Whether they are our own or surrogate grandparents who fill some of the gaps in our mobile society, our senior generation also provides our society with a link to our national heritage and traditions.â€
National Grandparents Day is observed Sunday, Sept. 7 this year. McQuade never meant for the day to be commercialized but for us to take some time and cherish those memories made with grandparents or someone who stepped in and filled the role of grandparent.
When we show these folks in our lives our love and appreciation, they understand their worth and value to us. When we share memories of loved ones that have died with our children, they can feel a sense of knowing and loving the person that helped to shape us into the person we are.
So, this year, do something grand to honor those special people in your life. Don’t let it just be one day of the year. Celebrate these individuals as often as possible and soak in all that they bring to enrich your life.
Write them notes of appreciation, gather for a meal or post their pictures on social media with a special memory or share that family recipe that they have made all these years, visit them, take a walk, do a craft or a puzzle, take them shopping, look at the photo albums, laugh and cry, but don’t complain if you’ve heard the story before. Someday, you’ll probably want to hear it again.
My husband grew up close to all four of his grandparents and I had the privilege to know each of them. Each of these four were so different from one another, but each of them loved their grandchildren well. I attended each of their funerals with my husband and witnessed how hard it was for him to lose them. I believe if they were here today, they would be so proud of the wonderful impact they made on my husband’s life. He is who he is in part because of their love and influence.
As an older adult now, of the many titles I wear, my favorites are (and proudly I say) Grandma and Grammy. These are names I feel honored to be called and so want to live up to all that those names represent.
And if you are an elderly person, be the reason someone observes Grandparents Day, do something grand and be that grandparent to a young people in your life.
Growing up, in addition to my grandparents, I also had elderly neighbors that just adopted my brother and I as if we were their grandchildren and there are so many fond memories of them in our lives. This set of neighbors just happened to be my husband’s paternal grandparents. I want to model the examples of those neighbors, loving my own grandchildren so very well, but also those that make their way into my life either as neighbors or friends of my grandchildren.
If your grandparents have died, remember them and cherish those memories, share them with your children so that family legacy lives on. If the miles separate you, reach out to them in some fashion, many seniors are tech savvy today. And don’t forget to let that elderly neighbor or person you know understand how important they are to you and the world. Simple things can be so grand!
