[Faith-talk] Daily Thought for Saturday, September 6, 2014

[Paul]

Hello and good day to all my fellow saints of the Most High God, no matter where you live in this world.  I hope and pray that, by God's matchless grace and His providential care, that you are all doing well when you read this.

Tomorrow in the United States and possibly Canada is Grandparents' Day, a day set aside to honor this specific class of senior citizens.  Now I know at least one person here who is a grandmother, and not only a grandmother but also a great-grandmother and, by extension a great-grandfather.  You know who I mean, and to avoid embarrassment I won't mention a name here.  Anyway congratulations on being the God-given elders of your respective families.  You deserve all the praise you can get for God having allowed you to live to your present age.

Carole Knowlton wrote an article about you some years ago simply called "Grandparents' Day," rendered as follows:

Marian Herndon McQuade walked miles with her grandmother to visit elderly shut-ins in West Virginia ("American Profile," Midwest edition, 29 August-4 September 2004).  Her grandmother brought food and home remedies and listened to the stories and songs of the elderly.  Marian never forgot those special days.

Marian had fifteen children, but she never forgot the love her grandmother instilled in her for the elderly.  She worked for recognition of elderly shut-ins.  President Richard Nixon signed a proclamation for the celebration of National Shut-In Day in 1972, but it was good for only one year.

When Marian continued working on legislation, it was suggested she switch to National Grandparents' Day.  Because of her ceaseless efforts, President Jimmy Carter signed legislation six years later declaring National Grandparents' Day on the Sunday following the Labor Day holiday each year.  In 1998, she was honored with a highway sign, which is now posted near her hometown of Oak Hill, West Virginia.

Marian never wanted National Grandparents' Day commercialized.  She believed everyone is a grandchild.  She hoped that people would adopt a grandparent if they did not have one.  The article went on to say that 60% of the people in nursing homes never get visitors.

When my husband and I married, we moved away from the area in which we grew up.  We missed having our family close, but we found substitutes.  When we bought our first home, we adopted a neighbor as our grandmother.  We made many memories together.  She filled the "grandparent void" and made the best molasses cookies!

Shelly Beach stresses the importance of the intangible elements of life in "Living Legacies" ("Horizons," 12 September 2004).  Grandparents can make every day seem like a special day.  They teach by example.

My husband's grandparents were married four months short of seventy-five years.  They taught faithfulness and sacrifice by example.  I remember having tea with Grandma.  When I was done with my tea bag, I would add it to hers in her cup.  I liked weak tea and she liked strong tea.  Grandpa's and Grandma's house was open to their seven children, their families, friends and neighbors.

Their care and concern for others was evident.  I am glad I had my husband's grandparents, for they left an indelible mark on my life.

And there you have Carole's article for today which, although shared with many of you for probably the third time, I trust was a blessing to you.

When I was part of a team doing field work in the coal regions of West Virginia, eastern Kentucky and western Pennsylvania collecting folk songs and stories for the Smithsonian's Oral History Project in the 1980's, I met some of the most generous elderly people you'd care to meet.  Sure, they didn't look rosy cheeked, nor were they in the best condition healthwise, but what they lacked in what we might call sophistication they made up in hospitality.  Those who are able to do such things would take their example of being generous.  Remember, you don't have to possess a large bank account, but your heart should be open to others, if it's only a phone call or an email to shut-ins in your area.  There's a verse in the apocryphal book of Ecclesiasticus which goes something like this:  "Kindness to an elder (older person) will not be forgotten by your heavenly Father." Although not in most Bibles, I can testify that, in my life at least, that verse has proven true over and over again.  Oh, by the way the recordings I made back in the 1980's are housed at Davis and Elkins College in Elkins, West Virginia.

And now may the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob just keep us safe, individually and collectively, in these last days in which we live.  Don't forget that tomorrow, Lord willing there will be the weekly Bible game.  Your Christian friend and brother, Paul