Standing in the kitchen, snapping beans … I think of you.
Cutting dough, puffs of flour, rising in a cloud … I think of you.
Cornbread crumbled in a tall glass of milk … I think of you.
Halls and Old Spice fill the air … I think of you.
Giggles and secrets shared … I think of you.
Stories of yesteryear, of days gone by … I think of you.
Late night kickball and lighting bugs … I think of you.
Fresh hay, sweet mini-cigars, and overalls … I think of you.
Memories. That’s what they are. Memories of times spent without a care in the world. Memories that live on forever, with little triggers that turn them on without warning. That’s what it is to make memories with grandparents. Memories and feelings so strong that it makes it near impossible to capture in words because there will never be enough words to express it all.
As I spent the day with visiting with two of my great-grandparents, I couldn’t help but be reminded of the importance of grandparents in our lives. So as we celebrate National Grandparents Day this year, take time to call, to visit, to think about your grandparents because it is a special day to focus on them.
But let me beg this of you too…
Don’t just wait for that one Sunday in September to focus on grandparents. Instead remember to celebrate them everyday. Take time to slow down and spend time with them. Take time to allow your children to get to know their grandparents, great-grandparents, and yes, if they are lucky, even their great, great-grandparents.
There is so much we have to learn from these great people in our lives. They know a time in history that we will never live. They know the stories of the family, stories only they can tell. Stories that, if left untold, will die to a time forgotten.
In our fast paced world it is easy to think, “Oh I’ll visit them next month,” or “I’ll call them tomorrow” or “Traveling is so time consuming and exhausting.” Or any of the other millions of excuses we give. But the sad fact is that we aren’t guaranteed a tomorrow. So we must do it today.
So yes, this Grandparents Day, call or visit. Spend time reminiscing. Spend time laughing. Spend time playing. Spend time building unbreakable bonds. Spend time listening to their stories … and write them down. And even when they say, “No, don’t take my picture,” take them anyways. Take lots and lots of pictures. And then set a time to do it again, and again, and again. Not next Grandparents Day, but next week or next month. Make your own memories. Help your children make their memories.
To find out more about how National Grandparents Day got started, visit: National Grandparents Day or Grandparents Day 2016: Do Something Grand.