Grandparents

Today is National Grandparents Day. It's not very widely know nor celebrated as Mother's Day or Father's Day. There are no TV or radio ads touting huge sales. There are no special gifts. For most people it's just another day.

But it should be a special day. Grandparents are very special people and deserve some recognition. They are just as concerned about their grandchildren as they were about their own children. They aren't directly involved in their everyday lives for the most part, but they still love them very much.

Grandparents have a special role in the family. Sometimes, they are the calming influence in an otherwise stormy relationship between parents and children. They understand both sides and try to help negotiate an agreement. Other times, they spoil their grandchildren rotten and send them home to their parents. Two wonderful sides of the grandparent coin.

At times, I feel a twinge of regret or maybe even jealousy for kids with grandparents. I never really had them. My mom's mother died before I was born and my grandfather remarried not long after and my mom wasn't close to her step-mother. He then died when I was 8. My dad's mother died when I was 10 and his dad died when I was 13 after suffering from poor health for a while. Through circumstances in life, I never really had the chance to have grandparents to the fullest extent that their role could have played in my life.

So here's to all the grandparents out there today. God bless them all and here's to many more years of having them around.

They are a treasure!