There’s nothing like the love of grandparents. They provide you with comfort, sass, patience, wisdom, and the sweetest of all, a dozen freshly-baked muffins.
Growing up with grandparents or visiting them during vacation leaves you with memories you’ll surely keep for life. They are the personification of summer days—pure warmth, all fun. They provide you with the standard measure for all things. With them around, it seems like no one else can compare to the taste of Nana’s cooking and Grandpa’s gentlemanly ways.
They have been strong in caring for their children, and until now, they remain healthy for their grandkids. Whether they go by the name of “Grandma and Grandpa”, “Nana and Papa”, or “Grammy and Pop”, one thing remains universal: their love will always feel like home.
Grandparents Day is a genuine day of celebration. It did not result from a capitalist move. Historically, the first holiday stemmed from the desire to celebrate and honor the lives of all grandparents. However, you don’t have to wait for the first Sunday after Labor Day to show your gratitude to them. Here are ways of showering them with your love, any day of the year:
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Provide them with comfort.
Grandparents have witnessed so many changes in the world. Some even took part in your country’s historic moments. Their retirement should be a period of relaxation and enjoyment. You can take them on a vacation or order massage chairs for them. Consider their current ailments. Find ways to relieve them from their conditions.
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Treat them to dinner.
Make it a habit to take your grandparents to dinner—no celebration needed. This way, your grandmother will also get the time off from cooking. The dinner doesn’t have to be grand. It can be to your family’s favorite downtown restaurant or the newly-opened craft kitchen you think your grandparents will love (but refuse to admit).
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Integrate them into your life.
Grandparents want to know how you are– and if you have eaten already. Let them know the current happenings in your life. Keep them updated. Now, messaging apps are user-friendly, a quality that makes it easy for grandparents to use. Better yet, resort to the traditional method: a phone call. And maybe letter writing, too.
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Know more about them.
Knowing requires asking. You can try checking out the family’s photo albums. Ask them about the pictures, and surely, the anecdotes will follow. There are still parts of your grandparents’ lives that remain untold. No doubt, you will be enthralled with the adventures they had once you know more.
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Record the family recipe.
Go straight to the source. Ask your grandmother to teach you the family recipes. You can even request for your grandmother to write down the recipes on a notebook. This way, you’ll have a memory of her handwriting and a written record you can show to your family in the future. Cooking the family dishes is an excellent way to bond, and ensure that the recipes will be passed down throughout the decades.
Grandparents bring out the best, the kindest, and the softest parts of people. You can honor the elderly by spoiling your grandparents, volunteering to the local nursing home, or maybe even both. Knowing what they went through, and how they are now, might be the link you need to know the secrets of the world– one that takes half a lifetime of reflection to know or a single conversation with your grandma and grandpa.
