Thank God for grandparents!
September 12, 2004 | 12:00am
If you know his father and grandfather, don’t worry about his son. –African Proverb
The world is celebrating National Grand-parents’ Day today.
The idea for a National Grandparents’ Day originated with Marian McQuade, a housewife from Fayette County, West Virginia. She championed the cause of the lonely and neglected elderly in nursing homes. She also persuaded grandchildren to connect with their grandparents. In 1978, American President Jimmy Carter proclaimed that National Grandparents’ Day would be celebrated on the first Sunday after Labor Day. And the whole world willingly followed suit.
A Welsh proverb says, "Perfect love sometimes does not come till the first grandchild." And according to Victor Hugo, "There are fathers who do not love their children; there is no grandfather who does not adore his grandson." In fact, no cowboy was ever faster on the draw than a proud grandparent pulling a baby picture out of a wallet.
The grandparent-grandchild relationship is one of the miracles in life. An inexplicable bond always grows between them. Lewis Mumford says, "Every generation revolts against its fathers and makes friends with his grandfathers." Sam Levinson attempts to explain: "The reason that grandparents and grandchildren get along so well is that they have a common enemy." (This, of course, isn’t always the case.)
Grandparents are angels. They shower their grandchildren with overflowing affection and attention. The possible reason for this is that grandparents realize that their grandchildren are their passports to living forever. Their genes will be kept alive on earth through them and the generations after them.
Grandparents tell some of the greatest stories that capture the wide-eyed curiosity of young minds. Their wisdom and patience match grandchildren’s endless questions and restlessness. When you think of wisdom, charm, comfort, feel-at-home goodness, candies and cookies, and hugs full of love, it’s inevitable to think of grandma and grandpa.
Here are some of what people say about grandmas (applicable to grandpas, too!): "Grandmas are earth angels. They are angels in training; they are just ‘antique’ little girls. Grandmothers are angels in training. Grandmas never run out of hugs or cookies.
"A Grandmother is a little bit parent, a little bit teacher and a little bit best friend. Grandmas are baby sitters who watch the children instead of the TV. They hold our tiny hands for just a little while... but our hearts forever. There’s no place like home except Grandma’s."
My siblings and I grew up with my maternal grandmother. I never experienced the joys of having a grandfather as both my granddads passed away before I was born.
We fondly called her Bai which is the Pangasinan word for grandma. She was the most gentle, caring person. Whenever I was sick, she had a magic cabinet full of oils (priest-blessed coconut oil, aceite alcamforado, aceite de manzanilla, etc.), medicinal herbs, miracle teas, and mysterious Latin prayers to banish every pain and chant each bruise away.
Being a cantora in church, she sang the most hypnotic lullabies that never failed to hush me to sleep. It was her patient, loving caress that I always clamored for to send me off to deep slumber. Bai had the delightful smell of sweet coconut oil, peppered with the faint fragrance of tobacco and the heady scent of old paper bills and coins.
We kids always looked forward to Monday, the market day. We would wait outside our gate watching for signs of Bai coming home in a caretela. Her basket and bayongs always yielded succulent mangoes, juicy sineguelas, yummy native cakes and other mouthwatering delights.
Bai is long gone but we still get gifts from her. Whenever we get our share from a sale or two of her real estate properties, we realize that she still takes care of us even from beyond eternity.
LOVE YOUR GRANDPARENTS!
Here’s a touching story, forwarded by Dr. Norman Songco, which might change your life:
A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year old grandson. The old man’s hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered. The family ate together at the table.
But the elderly grandfather’s shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth. The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess.
"We must do something about Grandfather," said the son. "I’ve had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor."
So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner. Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl.
When the family glanced in Grandfather’s direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food. The four-year-old watched it all in silence.
One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, "What are you making?"
Just as sweetly, the boy responded, "Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up." The four-year-old smiled and went back to work.
The words so struck the parents that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done.
That evening, the husband took Grandfather’s hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.
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The world is celebrating National Grand-parents’ Day today.
The idea for a National Grandparents’ Day originated with Marian McQuade, a housewife from Fayette County, West Virginia. She championed the cause of the lonely and neglected elderly in nursing homes. She also persuaded grandchildren to connect with their grandparents. In 1978, American President Jimmy Carter proclaimed that National Grandparents’ Day would be celebrated on the first Sunday after Labor Day. And the whole world willingly followed suit.
The grandparent-grandchild relationship is one of the miracles in life. An inexplicable bond always grows between them. Lewis Mumford says, "Every generation revolts against its fathers and makes friends with his grandfathers." Sam Levinson attempts to explain: "The reason that grandparents and grandchildren get along so well is that they have a common enemy." (This, of course, isn’t always the case.)
Grandparents tell some of the greatest stories that capture the wide-eyed curiosity of young minds. Their wisdom and patience match grandchildren’s endless questions and restlessness. When you think of wisdom, charm, comfort, feel-at-home goodness, candies and cookies, and hugs full of love, it’s inevitable to think of grandma and grandpa.
Here are some of what people say about grandmas (applicable to grandpas, too!): "Grandmas are earth angels. They are angels in training; they are just ‘antique’ little girls. Grandmothers are angels in training. Grandmas never run out of hugs or cookies.
"A Grandmother is a little bit parent, a little bit teacher and a little bit best friend. Grandmas are baby sitters who watch the children instead of the TV. They hold our tiny hands for just a little while... but our hearts forever. There’s no place like home except Grandma’s."
We fondly called her Bai which is the Pangasinan word for grandma. She was the most gentle, caring person. Whenever I was sick, she had a magic cabinet full of oils (priest-blessed coconut oil, aceite alcamforado, aceite de manzanilla, etc.), medicinal herbs, miracle teas, and mysterious Latin prayers to banish every pain and chant each bruise away.
Being a cantora in church, she sang the most hypnotic lullabies that never failed to hush me to sleep. It was her patient, loving caress that I always clamored for to send me off to deep slumber. Bai had the delightful smell of sweet coconut oil, peppered with the faint fragrance of tobacco and the heady scent of old paper bills and coins.
We kids always looked forward to Monday, the market day. We would wait outside our gate watching for signs of Bai coming home in a caretela. Her basket and bayongs always yielded succulent mangoes, juicy sineguelas, yummy native cakes and other mouthwatering delights.
Bai is long gone but we still get gifts from her. Whenever we get our share from a sale or two of her real estate properties, we realize that she still takes care of us even from beyond eternity.
LOVE YOUR GRANDPARENTS!
Here’s a touching story, forwarded by Dr. Norman Songco, which might change your life:
But the elderly grandfather’s shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth. The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess.
"We must do something about Grandfather," said the son. "I’ve had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor."
So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner. Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl.
When the family glanced in Grandfather’s direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food. The four-year-old watched it all in silence.
One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, "What are you making?"
Just as sweetly, the boy responded, "Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up." The four-year-old smiled and went back to work.
The words so struck the parents that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done.
That evening, the husband took Grandfather’s hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.
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