This year’s World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly offered an opportunity for the Residents and Little Sisters of Holy Family Home to get to know each other even better. Everyone was invited to bring a favorite memory of time spent with their grandparents, or a tradition they have continued with their own grandchildren, to the Father Ernest Center.
We took turns sharing, with each person speaking for just one to two minutes. This topic turned out to be a fantastic catalyst for conversation. Once the ball started rolling, even the usually reticent among us wanted the microphone to tell their ‘granny tales,’ much to our absolute amazement.
Here’s a short list of what struck us most:
- Sacrifice and Legacy: Many grandparents and great-grandparents were immigrants. Unsurprisingly, they were remembered for working selflessly to provide their children with better education and career opportunities than they had themselves.
- The Gift of Caregiving: Many Residents and Little Sisters knew grandparents who lived with dementia. Yet, they could still vividly recall the lessons learned from them and how rewarding it was to participate in their care.
- Enduring Faith: Participants recounted numerous examples of grandparents sharing their faith, expressing deep gratitude for that spiritual foundation. Christian values seemed to remain even when cognitive ability was declining.
- Inherited Talents: Several stories about inheriting specific skills and traits from grandparents brought knowing nods from the rest of the group.
- Humor prevailed: Many stories brought smiles to everyone’s faces.
We left the Father Ernest Center with full hearts, grateful not only for the memories of the past but for the family spirit we continue to build together every day at Holy Family Home.
