Forget Me Not

National Grandparents Day is this month (week). It’s not really a very old holiday. And while some of us think Hallmark keeps coming up with these “holidays” so they can sell us more cards, Grandparents Day was actually the idea of a lady in West Virginia named Marian McQuade. She had been working for many years with senior citizens and thought a special day should be set aside to honor them. In 1973 the first Grandparents Day was proclaimed in the state of West Virginia by the Governor. In 1978 the United States Congress passed legislation proclaiming the first Sunday after Labor Day as National Grandparents Day. President Jimmy Carter signed the proclamation. Mrs. McQuade was well qualified. She was the mother of 15 children and the grandmother of 40!!

September was chosen for the holiday to signify the “autumn years” of life.

I bet we have lots of grandparents in our congregation today. Now here’s something a little different. Will the grandparents please stay seated andwill everyone who isn’t a grandparent please stand up.

The Bible tells us in Leviticus to rise in the presence of the aged. We are to show respect. (everyone may be seated) In days gone by, children were taught to stand with respect when an adult entered a room. We’ve become much more informal in our relationships these days. Maybe that’s not been a good thing.

In April of 1999, the ”forget me not” flower was adopted as the official flower for grandparents day. That was a great choice! Sometimes when we’re young, we don’t make time for people older than us. We can forget to go visit grandma at home or grandpa in the nursing home. We need to remember to be respectful and to give our time and love to our grandparents. They have contributed so much to our lives and they have so much wisdom to give us.

Here’s a little “forget me not” flower for you. You may want to give it to one of your grandparents along with a hug, or you may want to take it home and set it somewhere to remind you to take time out for your grandparents and older relatives.