By Rev. Andrea Cambridge
“Grandma, do you still use that jacket?” My seventeen-year-old grand-daughter was checking out the 35-year-old plaid jacket with a gleam in her eye. Who knew that it was now all the rage? “Vintage” was the word she used – and she was sure it would fit her. My mind travelled back to when she was barely past my knee, dressed in a very pretty pink skirt, and I wondered where the years had gone!
I am blessed with six grandchildren, three of them live here in Toronto. When the children were small John and I did a lot of child-care (don’t ever dare to call it baby-sitting!) We rejoice that we are still strongly connected, still welcome to share in their lives, the children still ask for sleepovers at grandma’s place. [The sleepover requests probably have much to do with the exotic contents of my ‘fridge…]
Today, while their sister raids my wardrobe (I breathed a sigh of relief when she grew past my shoe size), one grandson consistently beats everyone at any table game and can make a Lego kit in record time; the other keeps us up-to-date on everything to do with soccer in the U.K. Apparently, Bournemouth, the city of my birth is now in the premier league. The things you learn from grandchildren.
We are blessed to be close to the family here in Toronto – our other three grand-children live overseas and we did not have the joy of seeing them grow day-by-day. First the COVID pandemic, and now new passport requirements have made it more difficult for us to visit. I am thankful for technologies like ZOOM! and the telephone to keep in touch, but nothing can replace intimate family contact.
In my role as a pastor, I encountered a number of grandmothers who have not had the privilege and joy of participating in the lives of their grandchildren. It is a grief for many women whose families have fractured for one reason or another.
As I pray, daily, for the six grandchildren in my life, I also bring to the Lord those women, and their grandchildren, who are not able to build the types of bond described above.
Thank-you, Lord, for all the grandchildren of this next generation – bless them, protect them from the harms that surround them, and, thank you for the women who care for them…sometimes from afar. Amen
Previous Post 
Leave Your Comment