Archive | Elderly/Seniors RSS feed for this section

A Grandparent’s Joys

27 Mar

One of my favorite quotes about grandmothers is this: “Grandmas are moms with lost of frosting.”

Comedian Bill Cosby had a way of making grandparent relationships come alive. I’ve always loved this story he told about his children’s grandmother (see photo).

BillCosbyOnGrandmothers

I was blessed to have two wonderful grandmas … not at all alike, and each providing me with sweet memories and a storehouse of wisdom. But that doesn’t mean I know everything about being a grammy.

I have two “grandmother” gift books I like to read occasionally, just to keep realistic expectations and to remind myself what a “good grandmother” looks like.

Some of the gems I read in The Joy of Grandparenting include:

  • The good news is that grandchildren keep you young. The bad news is that afterwards you “feel your age.” Grandchildren help keep you flexible – in more ways than one!
  • Childhood memories of how Grandma’s house smelled and looked never leave you.KissingGrandma
  • All grandparents have a license to be silly. Grandchildren are your passport to a world of fun and adventure.
  • Show your grandchildren that you can grow older without acting “old” – age gracefully.
  • Don’t be afraid to show your affection for each other when your grandchildren are around.
  • Share the joy of reading with your grandchildren – as often as possible. Introduce your grandchild to the books you treasured as a child.
  • Grandchildren love hearing your “When I was your age” stories – the first time.

In Grandmothers Are Special, I smile when I read about others’ thoughts and opinions on grandparenting:

  • Louisa May Alcott: “A house needs a grandma in it.”
  • Clara Ortega: “Grandmas mustn’t take sides – but there’s nothing to stop them winking!”
  • A grandmother named Pat: “You know, I think I really was meant to be a grandmother. It was mothering that confused me for all those years.”
  • Jewish proverb: “One of life’s greatest mysteries is how the boy who wasn’t good enough to marry your daughter can be the father of the smartest grandchild in the world.”
  • Joan McIntosh: “They say genes skip generations. Maybe that’s why grandparents find their grandchildren so likeable!”
  • Susan Strasberg: “I loved [my grandparents'] home. Everything smelled older, worn but safe; the food aroma had baked itself into the furniture.

My favorite is by humorist Erma Bombeck: “Grandmothers have three major objectives: keep billfold pictures current, buy whatever their grandchildren are selling,  and give impractical gifts that parents have forbidden them to have.”

Yes, these are fun and inspiring comments, but then I turn to the Book of all Books, the Bible, and soak in God’s rich wisdom.

Psalm 128:6a  says, “May you live to see your children’s children….” There was a time I just wanted to live long enough to see my grandchildren; but the older I get, the more I want to stay strong so I can “yield fruit” in my old age (Psalm 92:14). I want to see those HugForGrandmagrandchildren grow up, get launched from their parents, and start homes of their own.

I want to see great-grandchildren!

Because I love my grandchildren, I love to give them gifts (and Proverbs 13:22 suggests that a wise  grandparent “leaves an inheritance” to grandchildren); but the greatest gift we can leave them is to pass on a godly heritage (Deuteronomy 4:9; 2 Timothy 1:5).

Psalm 145:4 explains the responsibility of one generation teaching another about God. We certainly can live out authentic faith in front of our grandchildren, but we also need to be intentional in speaking up and pointing our grandchildren to the Creator who sent Jesus to redeem them and give them eternal life.

Sharon Hoffman encouraged me in grandparenting when she wrote,* “You are a valuable representative of the God who created you. Being a grandmom is a crucial role in His kingdom. You are a child of the most High God. When God created you, He also designed a specific purpose for you alone to accomplish at this particular place and time in history. Even if your grandchildren have two or more grandmothers in addition to you, God longs for you to be a representative of His love to the children that He has place in your life.”

Proverbs 17:6a says, “Children’s children are a crown to the aged….” Yes, grandchildren distinguish us. They are our crowning glory, our pride and joy. I love my “Grammy crown.”

* Sharon Hoffman, A Car Seat in My Convertible? Giving Your Grandkids the Spiritual Ride of Their Lives, New Hope Publishers, Birmingham, AL, 1008), p. 26

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Grandma’s Wisdom

10 Oct

How many of these descriptions of grandmothers sound like YOUR grandma?

  • A grandmother is a lady who has no little children of her own. (LOL!) She likes other people’s.A Hug and Kiss for Grandma
  • A grandfather is a man grandmother.
  • Grandmothers don’t have to do anything except be there when we come to see them. They are so old they shouldn’t play hard or run. It is good if they drive us to the store and have lots of quarters for us.
  • When they take us for walks, they slow down past things like pretty leaves and caterpillars.
  • They show us and talk to us about the color of the flowers and also why we shouldn’t step on “cracks.”
  • They don’t say, “Hurry up.”
  • Usually grandmothers are fat, but not too fat to tie your shoes.
  • They wear glasses and funny underwear.
  • They can take their teeth and gums out.
  • Grandmothers don’t have to be smart.
  • They have to answer questions like, “Why isn’t God married?” and “How come dogs chase cats?”
  • When they read to us, they don’t skip. They don’t mind if we ask for the same story over again.
  • Everybody should try to have a grandmother, especially if you don’t have television, because they are the only grown ups who like to spend time with us.
  • They know we should have snack-time before bedtime, and they say prayers with us every time, and kiss us even when we’ve acted bad. (1)

A few weeks ago, while I (Dawn) visited my dear aunt Julia in Kokomo, Indiana, I had the wonderful blessing to return to the town where my Grandparents lived while I was a little girl. I visited a park where I caught crawdads under a famous old red covered bridge.

Grandparents' graveI visited my grandparents’ homes ~ very old and broken down now ~ and then the cemetery where they were buried. There was just something about seeing their tombstones that brought me up short, and made me realize, once again, that someday my name will be carved on a tombstone. As my husband snapped a photo, I thought about my grandparents, and especially my Grandma Lillian Webb, nicknamed “Bill,” for some reason.

I often talk about my mom’s mom, Grandma Parks, because she was the last of the four grandparents to pass on, and she was a woman that I loved dearly. My sister Pam had the privilege of caring for her until she died.

But my Grandma Webb is etched into my memory because of the things she said. Perhaps you had a grandma like her.

I am so grateful for her influence in my life. Some things she said were the typical things that all grandmas say ~ like “Pretty is as pretty does.” But the times I remember most were the special moments when she encouraged me to live for God. I remember praying at her knee in her living room as she taught me to simply have a conversation with God like I’d have with a good, loving friend.

Grandma told me repeatedly that she was praying for me and praying for my husband who was “growing up somewhere in the world.“ (That is something this Grammy now does for her own grandchildren!) Grandma told me to be careful about the choices I made in life, because many of them would be hard to change, if I got them wrong. She encouraged purity and integrity, and Grandma reminded me that success comes from “acknowledging God” and obeying Him ~ not depending on my own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6). And it was my Grandma Webb who wisely sent me the information about a Bible college in Pennsylvania when I was considering some secular ones nearer my home. It changed the direction of my life.

Grandma could be stubborn, but it was stubbornness for good. She knew God and wanted all of her family to know Him, too. She fulfilled Psalm 145:4 ~ “One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.” She left my sister and I a rich legacy of God-centered thinking that helped to shape our lives.  I know that I was spurred on to seek wisdom because of the wisdom I saw in my Grandma and her Bible-based perspective on life. Because of my Grandma ~ in fact, because of all my grandparents ~ I understood the steadfast love of the Lord (Psalm 103:17).

Grandma and son

Grandma and my dad

Now a Grandma myself, I’ve realized that grandmas have the potential to shape the future as they share truth with not only their children, but their precious grandchildren. They can encourage their their dreams, and point them toward the only things that matter in this life:  love of God and His Word; and love for people that causes us to reach out to serve, teach, and share the Gospel. In this way, grandmothers (and grandfathers) “bear fruit in old age” (Psalm 92:14-15).

Do you have good memories of your Grandma? If not, was or is there a wise “Grandma” figure in your family or church who has helped to shape your life and walk with God?

Take time to thank the Lord for this precious woman ~ and if she is still alive, drop her a note to express your love and gratitude.

(1) “Grandmothers,” Cybersalt Digest, Issue #3676, http://www.cybersalt.org

Tags: , , , , ,

Serving in the Seasons of Life

26 Sep

There’s nothing like an obedient child who has a sweet, innocent heart ~ like little Johnny:

Mother instructed Johnny, as they waited for the bus, to tell the driver, “I am four years old,” when Bus Driverasked,  because then he would ride for free.

Sure enough, as they got into the bus, the driver asked Johnny, “How old are you?”

Johnny looked up at his mom and then at the driver. “I am four years old,” he said.

“Oh… and when will you be six years old, young man?” the driver asked.

Johnny smiled and replied: “When I get off the bus.” (1)

That mom didn’t teach her son integrity-in-the-moment, did she? One of the most powerful responsibilities of young moms is to teach their children godly character. A mom is her child’s teacher and coach, from the earliest years; and it’s a powerful way to serve God, too.

How have you served the Lord, so far?

It’s almost my birthday, and I (Dawn) was thinking the other day about how the Lord has allowed me to serve Him in all my seasons of life. As a young single, I served Him on a revival team, singing and counseling in churches across America. As a young wife, I encouraged my husband in his preaching and mission-based ministries ~ a job that has continued for our entire 37 years of marriage.

Generations

Seasons of Life

As a mother, God directed me to home school my children, and I served Him by being faithful in teaching them for many years. Feminists were loud and demanding in those days, telling women that motherhood was a “lesser” calling; but I was glad God showed me (years before I became a mom) that caring for my children would be a significant, fulfilling role, and a wonderful way to serve God!

We only have little ones for a short season, but we have the power to impact their lives for eternity! Some women cannot stay home ~ they must work to help the family survive ~ but every woman needs to make her “service” and “ministry” a matter of prayer during those crucial years.

As my sons graduated and married and I entered mid-life, I moved forward to accomplish some personal goals, but I still prayed for my boys. And now as a Grandma, I want to influence my grandchildren for the Lord. It’s not just an expression of love, it’s another way to serve God.

With every passing birthday, I’m more convinced that growing older isn’t for wimps. I’ll save you the litany of pains and aches, old bones and weary brain cells. With aging, there is a sense of futility that many feel as they see life racing by, and the sudden realization that there are fewer years ahead than behind us.

But Daughters of the King have a different perspective. We don’t retire from Kingdom life until God calls us home. We walk the path of adventure with Jesus, never knowing what might be ahead, yet savoring each fresh opportunity to seek Him, speak up for Him, and in some way, serve Him. We reach out as Titus 2:4-5 women, passing on our faith and wisdom to the younger generation.

With GrandmaMy grandma once told me that she would serve Jesus until she died, even if that “serving” was simply whispered prayers for her children and grandchildren in her final days. I know that it was Grandma’s prayers ~ actually, both of my grandmothers’ prayers ~ that kept me on the path of righteousness in my teenage years.

Our serving isn’t about prominence (Luke 22:24-28), but about obedience to the callings of God and the priorities He has for us in each season.

Remember: every season is beautiful in its time.

I recently re-read the familiar passage about the Proverbs 31 woman. She was a woman who was capable and skilled, and she ministered to her family in many loving ways. But what struck me was the foundational truth in verse 30: “a woman who reverently and worshipfully fears the LORD, she shall be praised!” That is the one thread, the continuity, that weaves together the activities of the woman of God through ALL the seasons of her life. No matter where she finds herself ~ single, married, parenting, in mid-life, as a grandparent, or widowed ~ she honors and serves the Lord.

How are you serving the Lord, Friend? Does your service fit the biblical priorities of your life and your role as a woman in this special season?

If it does, smile. It’s a BEAUTIFUL thing.

(1) Adapted from “Four-Year-Old Rider,” Cybersalt Digest, Issue #3666, 6-14-11, http://www.cybersalt.org

Tags: , , ,

← Older Entries

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 292 other followers

%d bloggers like this: