50+ Lifestyles

Grandparents Day – September 12th

By Mike Mickle

On September 12th, we get the opportunity to celebrate Grandparent’s Day.

Welcome to September everyone! I hope you are getting used to the new faces popping up in the Publisher’s Corner. Dave Deuth, Dan Adams and I are thrilled to be joining Eloise in this endeavor. We are planning a new format for 50+ next month, but still the same great
content. Be sure to pick up the October issue!

September is a special month. On September 12th, we get the opportunity to celebrate Grandparent’s Day. I hope all of you who are blessed with grandchildren, realize what a special role you play in their lives. Not only are you a constant source of unconditional love, you also hold the keys to your family’s legacy.

Grandparents can give us special insight into our history. I recently interviewed Karen’s grandmother. Grandma Killey is an amazing lady. She has given her grandchildren a lifetime of memories. Karen and her cousins had a childhood filled with sleepovers, tea parties, family baseball games and evenings playing “dress up” at Grandma and Grandpa Killey’s. For those of us who married into the family, the memories are just as special. No one, let me repeat, no one can cook fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy like Grandma. She never misses a birthday, and even the holidays are made more special because of her. She still hosts Killey Christmas, our family gathering complete with Karen’s uncles, aunts and cousins. Grandma not only enjoys the company of her children and grandchildren, she has great-grandchildren running around. As we gather around the looooooonnngggg table in grandma’s basement and share our holiday meal, you sometimes see what appears to be a tear in her eye. No doubt, it’s fueled by the love she feels. Later in the evening, as the presents are handed out, you’ll see grandma blush each time she receives a present. “Oh my. I don’t deserve all these presents,” she humbly and quietly says. Her family disagrees. Those who were born into the family and those of us who were blessed enough to marry into it realize, people like Adeline Killey don’t come along very often and when they do, we should cherish our time with them.

On September 18th, we’ll all gather to celebrate Grandma’s 100th birthday. She outlived her husband. Grandpa Killey died 13 years ago, when we were expecting Kyle. She outlived a son. Karen’s dad died when we were expecting Kate. She survived the great depression, has lived through 15 different Presidents and did what many women her age, did not. She graduated from college. Still, if you ask her what her most important accomplishment has been, the conversation will immediately turn to her family. You’ll hear how proud she is of the three sons she raised, her grandchildren and now her great-grandchildren. As people gather to wish her a happy birthday, she will be embarrassed by all the fuss and when it’s time for the presents, she will softly say, “Oh my. I don’t deserve all these presents.” Yes, you do Grandma. Happy birthday from your family, and to all of you who are grandparents and great-grandparents, thank you for the legacy you have created.

Happy Grandparent’s Day everyone!