Did you celebrate Grandparents Day last Sunday? It’s not widely known celebrated. That’s because most of the time we celebrate grandmothers along with mothers on Mothers Day and grandfathers along with fathers on Fathers Day. But having a special day for us grandparents is nice.
The idea for USA-based Grandparents Day originated with a woman in West Virginia. Marian McQuade’s primary motivation was to promote the need to pay attention of lonely elderly people in nursing homes when she petitioned the Senate to set a day to honor grandparents. She also hoped to persuade grandchildren to listen and learn from the years of wisdom of their grandparents. President Carter proclaimed a National Grandparents Day in 1978 to be celebrated every year on the first Sunday after Labor Day.
The top picture has my maternal grandmother and grandfather on the right. I’m the little girl in the front holding onto my mother’s hands. My sisters are to the right of me. Nobody knows who the other little girl is, but we assume she must have been a neighbor who had come to visit while we were there. My grandfather died when I was five so I don’t remember much about him. In his younger years, he was a blacksmith which is why I have Victor the father in my Rosey Corner books a blacksmith.
My grandmother loved to read, work crossword puzzles and play cards. She passed along that love of card games and word games to my mother and on down to my sisters and me.
My paternal grandmother died before I was two. I did get to know my grandfather who didn’t pass away until I was sixteen. He didn’t talk much but I used to sit in one of the rockers with him in his bedroom and watch the coal in the grate spark and burn. He also would let me have a stick of peppermint out of his King Leo tin if I asked. With my sweet tooth, I always asked. In the summer he sat on the porch and watched the world go by. By the time I was old enough to remember, he didn’t work on the farm any more. I do have a memory of him putting harnesses on his workhorses once. By then, Dad had a tractor, but Granddad stuck with his horses.
But my aunt in the picture was our grandmother. She spoiled my sisters and me just the way a grandmother would. She never got married to have children of her own, but she loved us without measure. She loved dogs and cats. She kept a record of all the books she read and I sometimes wonder if she had writing ambitions. If so, she never said so, but she did read my early attempts. Her encouragement always boosted to my spirits.
Grandparents are such a gift to grandchildren.
Nobody can do for little children what grandparents do. Grandparents sort of sprinkle stardust over the lives of little children. ~Alex Haley
Do you have great memories of times with your grandparents?
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My grandmother is passed but I think of her every day and the time that I didn’t get to spend with her as she was struggling for a time. My hubby and I just made a small cheer to each other and didn’t hear from any of our 11 grandchildren nor their parents. But that is ok we remembered those grandparents that we loved and lost.
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None of my kids or grandkids thought of Grandparents Day either, Peggy. It’s just not one that catches much interest. But the grandkids do usually tell me Happy Mother’s Day and that is when they remember. Without me being a mom, they wouldn’t be here. 🙂
It is fun being a grandparent.
I only have one grandmother that I was old enough to remember. She died when I was 6. My other grandmother I only remember seeing her in a bed, but never talking to her. Both my grandfathers died when I was only a few years old. I would have loved to remember them all.
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You missed out on grandparents, Connie. I only knew the two myself, but at least I did get to know them. Most of us live longer these days with all the advancements in medicine. So, most kids have the chance to know their grandparents unless they live too far away. But we do have internet these days to find a way to be close even when miles separate us.
I was blessed to be born with 3 Great-grandparents and all of my grandparents living (plus 2 step-grandparents). I have happy memories with each of them. I often find myself telling my husband and kids things that my maternal great-grandmother used to say or how she did things. She called the couch a davenport, could make a packet of cocoa last for 3 cups -it was basically slightly browned water, but I think that came from living through the Depression. She would also say a boy was “pretty” instead of handsome or cute. She was one of the best people I have ever known, and I miss her so much. Funny story with my paternal grandfather was me going fishing with him in his boat and the only thing I caught was his hat when I tried to cast, and the hook headed for his head! 🙂 He didn’t get upset but my brother and a male cousin said they would have been in trouble if they had done that! Haha! Maybe he was just glad that one of his granddaughters wanted to go fishing with him, so he didn’t holler at me. 🙂
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You had a veritable riches of grandparents, Hope. What a blessing for you and I’m sure you were a blessing to them too. Thank you for sharing your memories of your great grandmother. My mom was like that with her tea bags. You had to use them more than once. Now I like my tea really strong. Maybe I’m making up for all those weak cups when I was a kid. LOL.
I bet it would be fun to have seen your grandfather’s face when you “caught” his hat. Good thing he was patient with you or maybe he was just glad you caught his hat and not his face!! It’s so good you have happy memories with all your grandparents.
Hi Ann – Please enter me in your Birthday Giveaway.
Thanks,
Susan J. Reinhardt
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I will do it, Susan. Thanks for reading my newsletter.
I’m so sorry you didn’t get to know your grandmother, but glad you had that aunt. I had an aunt that was like a second mother to me. But I was extremely blessed to have a grandmother (til I was 53 yrs old), and a great-grandmother (til I was 23)! Some of my best memories are with those grandmothers, and also grandfathers too! My Papaw was a stone mason and bricklayer, and one of the most patient men I ever met. He took the time to teach us how (and why) to do things right the first time. And he taught us about faith and reading our Bible. He was self-taught after dropping out of school in 3rd grade to help support his family during the Great Depression. He read his Bible daily and other than books that Corrie ten Boom or Billy Graham wrote, it’s the only book I ever saw him read. After he retired, he came to live on our farm. My children got to know him and spend lots of time listening to his stories and fishing.
Grandparents are the best…until you become one yourself, and then grandkids are the best! I was blessed for many years to have both!
Author
You did have bountiful grandparent blessings, Lavon. And it sounds as if your grandparents were some of the best. The people who came through the Great Depression knew what was important. They’d seen hard times but they had done what had to be done. I don’t think we share enough stories with our kids and grandkids these days. Or even in my young days. I wish I had tried to get my grandmother to share her times although she was a quiet woman who might not have wanted to do that. When we had family reunions later on, I always wished we could have a story telling time to let the older family members share their younger days, but I could never seem to get that to work.
Grandparents are a gift, but yes indeed, grandkids are too.
Ann, I loved my mother but my maternal grandmother was my best friend and I miss her everyday (still after 45 years). I could tell my grandmother anything and she was the one to tell me about life not my Mom. Her favorite song was “In the Garden” which I can still hear her sing. If you called her in the evening, she would tell you how hard she had worked all day…if you went over to her house, you would not find it immaculate but her garden was and it was beautiful. I remember planting flowers with at an early age. My paternal grandfather was a quiet man but had the sweetest soul. One of my earliest memories of him was me sitting on his lap eating sweet pickles. He nicknamed me ‘Pickles’.
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What sweet grandparent memories, Pamela. Grandparents can play such an important part in our lives and have a special way of making us feel loved. It’s good that you had such a loving grandmother to guide you and love you.