Grandchildren

Proverbs 17:6 (NASB)

Grandchildren are the crown of old men, and the glory of sons is their fathers. 

I love lighthouses!  During one vacation trip from Seattle to Monterey, CA, my wife and I visited every single lighthouse along that part of the west coast.  I love calendars with photo of lighthouses.  Perhaps my favorite wall-hanging is a photo of a lighthouse given to me by one of my children. The caption below the lighthouse reads:  “Thank you, DAD, for your love and your example”, then the second part of the above verse is quoted.  Now, of course, it’s true…..I love this wall-hanging more for the words expressed than the photo of a lighthouse. 

Being a grandfather of five, the first part of this verse appeals to me!  Frankly, a paraphrase of this part of the verse will state:  “Old people are proud of their grandchildren”.  Any grandparent will agree that being a grandparent is more fun and less stressful than being a parent.  Grandparents typically can enjoy all the benefits of being a parent without dealing with all the pressures and stresses of parenthood.  I have a good example of this.  My granddaughter (9 years of age) played on a softball team but before one game she really didn’t want to play and showed all kinds of negative emotion why she didn’t want to play.  Watching her behavior, I was highly amused while her parents were mortified. 

I love some quotes about grandparents and here are some examples

·  Grandmas are moms with lots of frosting.  Author Unknown

·  What a bargain grandchildren are!  I give them my loose change, and they give me a million dollars' worth of pleasure.  Gene Perret

·   Perfect love sometimes does not come until the first grandchild.  Welsh Proverb

·  There's no place like home except Grandma's.  Author Unknown

·  Becoming a grandmother is wonderful.  One moment you're just a mother.  The next you are all-wise and prehistoric.  Pam Brown

·  When grandparents enter the door, discipline flies out the window.  Ogden Nash

·  It is as grandmothers that our mothers come into the fullness of their grace.  C Morley

·  To become a grandparent is to enjoy one of the few pleasures in life for which the consequences have already been paid.  Robert Brault

·  Grandchildren don't make a man feel old; it's the knowledge that he's married to a grandmother.    G. Norman Collie

·  If nothing is going well, call your grandmother.  Italian Proverb

·  Grandmother-grandchild relationships are simple.  Grandmas are short on criticism and long on love.  Author Unknown

·  The best place to be when you're sad is Grandpa's lap.  Author Unknown

·  Grandmother - a wonderful mother with lots of practice.  Author Unknown

·  Every generation revolts against its fathers and makes friends with its grandfathers.  L Mumford

·  It's amazing how grandparents seem so young once you become one.  Author Unknown

·  Grandchildren are God's way of compensating us for growing old.  Mary H. Waldrip

May this biblical proverb and these other wise words all apply to you either now or sometime in your future.