Last night, we got a chance to celebrate my only living Grandma on her 89th birthday. And when I say “we” I mean 24 of us! What a privilege it was. It was an extra special night because it was her birthday, of course, but mostly because in this season of life, getting that many people to press pause on our busy lives all at the same time, to celebrate anything, is quite a feat. It wasn’t an elaborate feast or fancy cake (the only “Master Chef” in this house is still in training), and it didn’t matter. What mattered is that we gathered to honor Grandma and her beautiful life.
And we took pictures!
It’s sort of a running joke in our family that a moment doesn’t really “happen” unless we get a picture of it. That was especially funny last night as we were really wanting to make sure we captured this moment with Grandma and all her great-grandkids. But after she blew out her candles, everyone was saying “Wait, hold that! Smile!” Meanwhile, Grandma was trying to hold her smile, while struggling to breathe through a billowing cloud of smoke at the same time.
But hey, we captured the moment!
It made me think about the way our grandparents link the past to the future. While they’re with us, they hold the family stories. They hold the family wisdom. They hold the love of the generations that came before.
If only we can slow down long enough to honor them.
Each of us has the opportunity of sifting the stories, the wisdom and the love from the previous generations, whether you’re connected by genetics or by choice. And in our lives, we have the opportunity to pass along our stories, wisdom, and love to the next generations. We merely have to slow down long enough to do it.
This weekend, make it a point to do one of these two things:
- Ask a loved one from a previous generation to share a story with you
- Share a story from your past with someone from a generation behind you
It doesn’t matter if it’s by phone, video call or in person. Make it a point to connect some of your history. It will be easier than you think. But you have to do it on purpose, or we both know it will never happen.
Go capture some moments with the ones you love this weekend.
And look out for the smoke!
to more love,
Crystal
