A Grandparents' Day to Remember

I didn't even realize it was Grandparents' Day until I looked at the calendar late in the afternoon during our memorable event. I guess that goes to show how we deem the occasion here in America, and frankly it's a shame. Yet, the day we had this year will be one to remember.

My four-year-old son is too young to realize the significance of the occasion or appreciate it, yet I hope this article will allow him to treasure the moment later in his personal development. Anyways, what he did on this day was sit at a table and share a meal with both sets of grandparents and his only surviving set of great-grandparents.

This was the first day that my parents and my wife's parents had ever met as well. Their prior communication had to be email or written letter, as my in-laws reside in the Philippines and had just arrived in the U.S. for their first visit. This is a trip for them that will take them through North America on a quest to see all of their grandchildren for again, the very first time. This Grandparents' Day was truly one of those goosebump experiences that you thank the Lord for.

What made the day more blessed was the fact our parents seemed to gel together and I believe they could have went late into the evening with their conversations and fellowship. I know for a lot of people, a smooth meeting of the in-laws is impossible and that is tragic as all of the family members are affected. But in our case, the minute we arrived at my parents' house with her folks, handshakes, hugs, and warm greetings were exchanged. The warmth continued when we went inside. A lot of wonderful snapshots were seized and that will add to the sweet memories of the day.

It was a joy to sit back and watch the visiting unfold, as our elders found common ground between themselves. That is probably a big key in bringing people together. In our case, it was agriculture. My parents reside on a small cattle ranch and her father grew up on a rice farm. On this day, beef and rice, though good to eat, became outstanding, unifying topics. Ham was the main course for the memorable meal.

Grandparents' Day was set aside as a special moment to honor our elders. Whether you have actual grandparents or not, it is still a good day to honor the older ones that have made an impression on your life. They have had a lot of experiences, and they have usually obtained a load of wisdom throughout their years. This day is a chance to salute them, thank them, and to try to soak in more of their influences so that someday you can start passing it on to the young ones looking up to you. It is a hard world we are living in, yet do the best you can to seize the opportunities to spend time with people you care about and try to transform those moments into wonderful memories. God bless you.