Today is Grandparents’ Day here in the U. S. One might have guessed that such a commemoration would be subsumed, by definition, under Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, or that the holiday was a pure contrivance by Hallmark. Not so. According to the National Grandparents’ Day Council:
The impetus for a National Grandparents Day originated with Marian McQuade, a housewife in Fayette County, West Virginia. Her primary motivation was to champion the cause of lonely elderly in nursing homes. She also hoped to persuade grandchildren to tap the wisdom and heritage their grandparents could provide. President Jimmy Carter, in 1978, proclaimed that National Grandparents Day would be celebrated every year on the first Sunday after Labor Day.
McQuade has 15 children, 40 grandchildren, and eight great grandchildren, making it even more remarkable that she found time to make this happen.
Here’s to the grandparents who are supportive of our families and those who are struggling to be so. Here’s to those who should be—may they find a way past their prejudices. Let’s also not forget LGBT grandparents, and those of us who will be.
Grandparents’ Day is a minor holiday in the scheme of things, but there’s no harm in taking a few moments to reflect. Philosopher George Santayana once said “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Grandparents link us to our past, and give us, and our children, knowledge for the future.
