Rockstar GrandparentSýnishorn

“The Season of Grandparenting”

“To everything there is a season.” We will each take our turn at being a child, a teenager, a mom or dad, and then a grandparent.

Right after “To everything there is a season” in the King James translation of today’s Scripture reading comes this phrase: “and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” Finding our purpose. “Whoa! That’s heavy,” as we used to say in the ’60s.

Many years ago I read an essay about the end of our lives and how great it is that our grandchildren see only the end and not the beginning. I’ve thought of that many times as I watched my parents in their grandparenting and great-grandparenting roles. I understand the premise, for sure, and know there are things we all did in our youth that we wish we hadn’t, but still, it would have been fun for my children to see my parents when they were young and vibrant. John Luke would have played racquetball with my dad, and the girls would have bowled or played tennis with my mom. 

That would have been fun. But as much as I love fun, life isn’t all about the fun things. It’s about the fruitful things—the things that are intangible.

It’s funny how, by definition, intangible things are things we can­not hold or grasp, yet it’s the intangibles we hold on to with the firmest grip. When it was time for my parents to stop playing racquetball and hang out in the bowling alley, they never stopped the most important things in life, such as being kind, loving unconditionally, and whispering prayers of hope, peace, and joy.

In your grandparenting role, you are no less important than you have been at any time in your life. It’s just a new time. It’s time to look at what you’ve accomplished and see what your next step is. It’s your turn to be the wise one; the experienced one; the tried, true, and tested one; and the one who can pass that wisdom, experience, and tested-ness (okay, maybe not a real word, but you get it) on to the next generation. 

Our future generations depend on you and me!

Rockstar grandparent, take action! Take time to assess how you’ve done as a grandparent so far. Begin journaling (or at least noodling in your head) some changes you can adopt to make the most of this season of grandparenting.