The Inspire Me Sundays...Happy Grandparents Day!

Pin It    Did you know that today is Grandparents Day? This is so awesome! I think a holiday like this needs to be acknowledged on the same level as Mother's or Father's Day.

   I only have one Grandma left, on Dad's side. Both of my Grandpas died when I was young and my Mom's Mom died very tragically when my Mom was still a child. I never had a chance to meet her.

   But my Dad's Mom was there for me. She's always been very-hardworking and now that she retired, it's not very easy for her to have little to do. She always cared about me and my sister. When I was little I used to spend the whole summer with her, and she would even take me to work when she had night shifts. It's hard to be so far away from he right now!

    But don't get me wrong. My Grandma wasn't always the best example for me. She was a chain smoker for good 40 years of her life, and a couple of years before she retired she started drinking too. I remember hiding bottles of vodka that I had found at her house from her when I was a teenager. It was especially scary because she worked at the ER as a surgeon. I remember how much I wanted to report her but luckily the last few years before retirement she was mostly consulting other surgeons.

  And then she had a stroke. And it really really scared her! She was lucky not to be parallized or anything from it (even though it really aged her) but she stopped all of her destructive habits cold turkey! She's a very strong woman.

   All these experiences from my childhood taught me a few very important lessons. I learned what not to do when I saw how destructive her habits were. But I also learned how to love unconditionally, how to be there for others...oh, and how to cook too :)

   The other day I stumbled upon a quote that is just perfect for today:

Grandparents are not just a convenience when a babysitter is required. Grandparents bring years of experienced love and enduring care so that grandchildren can appreciate the extension of love, another home to feel safe and secure, and the knowledge that their grandparents are always there for them in good and bad times.
                                                      Byron Pulsifer. 

   Years ago in Russia there used to be a "commercial" with some kids and grown-ups(obviously parents) just running and playing together and then they would show an elderly woman sitting next to an old-fashioned phone. The ad finished with a phrase "Call your grandparents".

   This Sunday go call your grandparents if they are still alive or call your grandkids and remind them how much you love them. I know I will...

   Have a great Sunday, everyone!