As a kid, I used to be jealous of my friend, whose grandparents gave beautiful presents at every holiday and occasion. Good grades? New toy horse stable. Summer visit? New American Girl Doll (along with extra clothes and accessories). When I mentioned to my mom how lucky my friend was (did I mention I'd like a few more presents, please?), she told me that we don't show love in our family that way (which of course made me wish that we did show love that way).
My grandparents are good people. They were and are good parents: steady, consistent, loving. They taught their children the values that strong families have held onto for generations: faith, work, loyalty. They've been true to each other, true to their families, true to their God. And before them, their parents lived the same way. And their parents before them.
My grandparents' posterity may not remember any single act of bravery or accomplishment of note. In fact, they probably won't because my grandparents have lived an ordinary life, marrying young, working hard, living frugally, raising kids. But although they won't remember, although they might never even know it, their posterity will owe them. By living a decent life, my grandparents built a foundation for the families that would come from them. They showed that right choices and good living are the way to happiness and the types of success that matter in this life and beyond. Just as dysfunction tends to bred dysfunction, decency leads to more decency, goodness to more goodness, strong families to more strong families.
As new parent in the throes of trying to build the foundation of my son's life, how grateful I am that this is the gift my grandparents chose to give.
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