Grandparents Day

Sunday, September 8, 2019 is National Grandparents Day.  There is not much fanfare made about Grandparents Day.  Most of our calendars don’t even recognize its existence.  What a shame!  It is unfortunate that we don’t make as much of a fuss about grandparents as grandparents do about their grandchildren.  No cowboy was ever as fast on the draw as a grandparent pulling a baby picture out of a wallet. 

Grandparents will go to war for their grandchildren.  A grandmother or grandfather will even fight his or her own child for the sake of their grandchild.  Grandparents are the God’s gift to the world.  You are an integral part of family system.  Perhaps now more than ever, grandparents are a critical part of the family unit. 

At a time where the norm is for both parents to work outside of the home or for only one parent to be the primary guardian, grandparent support makes a significant difference in the life of a child.  As grandparents, you provide a link to the past, while shaping the future.  Through you, your grandchildren have access to their roots.  In you, grandchildren are able to see how their parents were influenced to become the people that they are.  You help your grandchildren create a sense of identity within themselves. 

​Tell your grandchildren your story.  They realize who they have the potential to be, in part, by knowing where they come from.  What’s your story?  Is it the story of a country boy who picked cotton for 10 cents a day?  Is it the story of an East Texas native who was the first person in her family to go to college, and then came to the big city in search of opportunity?  Is it the story of a single mother who sacrificed her dreams in order to make the dreams of her children a reality?  Is it the story of a boy from the South with only an 8th grade education who has a PhD in common sense and integrity? Is it the story of a young fool who should be dead, but God’s grace spared your life and turned your foolishness into wisdom?  Is it the story of one who survived the Civil Rights movement, Jim Crowism, discrimination, segregation and voter intimidation?  Maybe your story is not a pretty story, maybe you are not proud of your story.  Is it the story of one who has come over a way that with tears have been watered? 

​Whatever your story, it is one that needs to be told.  You need to tell your story because your story has an impact on your grandchildren’s story.  Your story will impact generations yet unborn because your story is a story of faith.  Your story is about the power and miracles of the Lord, God.  The most important contribution a grandparent can make is imparting and modeling faith.