National Grandparents Day
Children's children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers. (Proverbs 17:6 (KJV)) This proverb is a perfect demonstration of love and legacy.
Grandparents as well as parents are a powerful influence in our children’s lives. The gift of being a grandparent is we have the awesome privilege to set the foundation for something far more valuable than money or any material possession. We get the opportunity to fashion a legacy memorable for generations to come. Personally, I want my name and life to be remembered.
It is our responsibility and blessing as a grandparent to invest in our children’s children by educating, empowering, enriching and elevating them by way of our wisdom and knowledge gained through life experiences; passing on the love of God, family values and the promise that all things are possible. Most important of all is to instill and model the fruits of the Spirit which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control; . (Galatians 5:22-23 (NASB)). The famous poet James Baldwin says “Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.”
My love & legacy experience this summer was having the honor of keeping my two grandsons for one month. I was so excited that I shortened my Africa trip by two weeks in order to have more time with them. You see they live in Baltimore and me in California, so my visits with them are usually a week or two a year.
This was my moment to submerge them in love and create amazing memories that we will treasure for a lifetime for instance our daily trips to the parks, doing the Mickey Mouse 'hotdog" dance every episode, our bedtime photo shoot (Usies not selfies) before falling asleep and the list goes on and on.....…..
One of my most memorable moments with my oldest grandson was on the drive to summer camp. Gary and I have hip-hop sing- a-longs while Stephen claps during the Bay Area morning commute, not only do I love the connection, it also keeps Mama Roc youthful and up-to-date. Well on this particular morning the conversation went a little something like this:
Mama Roc: Gary, Mama Roc needs her God time this morning
Gary: Ok whatever you need with his eyes wide open rolling up and shaking his head
Mama Roc: (chuckling) One day you and your brother will appreciate that I pray for the king inside of you
Gary: A King? A kid can’t be no king without a crown! (In his B-More tone)
Mama Roc: Lol, you don’t need a physical crown, my prayer is that you and your brother be wise, strong, noble, have integrity, good character, have a pure heart, be loving, always make right decisions, full of faith and walk in authority, that my son is your crown! Do you understand?
Gary: Yesssss, I get it!
We didn’t miss a beat and continued to sing along to Fred Hammond’s He’s an awesome God, God, God God……
We live in a society where the future of our children is a stake; their success is our legacy. What will be your legacy? How do you want to be remembered?
