On Your Relationship With Your Grandparents (Letter 16)

Dear Y.B.M.:

I hope that you are doing well, today.

I would like to talk with you about the great value of your grandparents. If your grandparents are living, you have a tremendous treasure in your life. If you have great grandparents you have a greater treasure. Sit down and talk with your grandparents. Some of the most intriguing conversations that I have ever had have been with my grandfather and my two grandmothers. They are my link to the past as to how it really was "back when", and also they are a great help to my knowing who I am and where I came from. Here are some things you can do to reap jewels from your ancestors:

1. Go and talk with them when they are not preoccupied with other things. Sometimes, visit them alone, if you can.

2. Listen, Listen, Listen. You are not there to talk that much; you are there to learn all that you can. Your grandparents can really give you an education.

3. Show respect to them. No matter what kind of lifestyle they have had, there is nothing wrong with saying "Yes, Sir" and "No, Ma'am." They may move slower, talk slower, think slower, have different views about life, but you owe them that respect.

4. Do not go with the attitude that they can't tell you anything because they did not attain the educational level that you have. They still have more knowledge and wisdom in their little finger than you have in your little brain.

5. Eat the chicken and leave the bones. Grandparents don't speak ex-cathedra simply because they are grandparents. Everything they say is not necessarily right.

6. Tell your grandparents you love them and show your appreciation for them.

Your grandparents can be a great blessing and help to you if you let them.

Linking up with your personal past, 

Daniel