We inherit from our ancestors gifts so often taken
for granted—our names, the color of our eyes
and the texture of our hair, the unfolding
of varied abilities and interests in different subjects…
+Edward C. Sellner
Grandparents and the elderly…are the link between generations,
passing on the experience of life and faith to the young.
+Pope Francis
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2022 IS GRANDPARENTS DAY in the US. Grandparents Day is an official national holiday signed by President Carter in 1978 and celebrated in the US on the first Sunday after Labor Day. Recently, Pope Francis and the Catholic Church observed the second World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly which was instituted by Pope Francis in 2021. It is to be observed on the fourth Sunday of July, close to the feast of Saints Joachim and Anne, traditionally thought to be the grandparents of Jesus.
As a gerontologist, I am particularly interested in celebrating the lives and wisdom of the elders in our society because they have so much experience to contribute to the issues challenging us at this time in our families, our societies, our world. I grew up spending lots of time with my maternal grandmother, especially in summer and almost every weekend after my grandfather died. I attribute my interest and special love of the elders to what she taught me as I observed her in our daily living together. She was of Polish ancestry, and I was privileged to share the wonderful food she prepared. I even tried to learn how to make her delicious breads and rolls. On Sundays she would make a chicken dinner for my grandpa and me, which was my delight!
My cousins often asked me why I was so close to my grandma, and as the years go by I’ve come to realize that she was particularly fond of me for at least two reasons. I reminded her of her first daughter, my Aunt Bernice, who died of MS after suffering with the disease for ten years. I resembled her, so she often thought of her when I was there. The second reason seemed to be that since I was a sickly child, “skinny as a rail,” she wanted me to be healthy and well, again reminding her of her daughter. Perhaps she thought I too would die young, but as I often say to me friends, “If only she could see me now!”
Our grandparents and elders remind us of our need to learn from our life experiences and from the many challenges they have faced in their families, in our society, and in our world. I find it very comforting and consoling that they have indeed survived some awful wars, pandemics, weather-related events, accidents, and traumas of every kind imaginable. They have not only survived them, but they have worked hard to prevent them happening again or have helped to create new and improved ways to exist in this world.
I’m aware that the elders also shoulder some of the blame for our current energy crisis, climate change, and other social challenges, but I often think of how we still make the same poor decisions even though we now know what some of the causes are for diabetes, cancer, obesity, strokes, and heart attacks. Human nature also has a great influence on our life choices. It’s not a perfect world, and we all just need to keep on keeping on.
During this Grandparents Day, let’s take time to reflect on exactly what gifts our ancestors have given us and how they have actually influenced us in our life choices. I hope we do this often and not just one day a year! Sister Mary Thill is a Sylvania Franciscan Sister. She can be reached at mthill@sistersosf.org.
✲
