Forever Grateful for Grandparents

Last weekend, we celebrated our daughter's fourth birthday. I can't believe she's already four years old—how did that happen?!

When I look at her, all I see is the long, beautiful life still ahead of her. She's such a fantastic kid—incredibly kind-hearted and generous and, in many ways, wise beyond her age.

We only had a small gathering this year. Only half of our immediate family was able to attend. And although it was a smaller celebration, having all the generations come together for her birthday was very special.

I'm very aware of how lucky she is to have her grandparents in her life. Our daughter has this way of bringing out their carefree and childlike qualities—playing sports, adventuring with her grandfathers, playing make-believe, and making arts and crafts with her grandmothers. During the worst of the pandemic, her grandparents were often her closest contacts. And, in many ways, they've also become her best friends.

Our daughter is incredibly fortunate that her grandparents are able to spend so much time with her. I never had that with my grandparents, nor did my husband. However, because she's still so young (only four), I often wonder how much of them she'll remember when she's older. Will she have the chance to get to know them for how truly unique and interesting they are, or will she just remember them as her playmates?

I want our daughter to have the opportunity to really know her grandparents. That's why I've started working on our family history. And, believe me, I understand (on a very personal level) how daunting this task can be. Not knowing where to start, how to organize all the stories, or how to include both sides of the family.

Earlier this year, I began documenting my parents' stories while we went through photo albums together. While I've heard many of their stories, recording them in their own words is very important. I didn't want to summarize away the nuances and emotions associated with the experiences they've lived through. My parents (who have been together since they were eighteen or nineteen) had my younger brother and me in their thirties, so many of their stories are from before we were born.

My parents are also the closest link to my grandparents, who are no longer living. Unfortunately, I was too late to collect their stories, so my parents' account of their lives is all I have left to remember them by.

I don't want our daughter to miss out on getting to know her grandparents the way I missed out on getting to know mine. So, I've started collecting our parents' stories and jotting down the correct names of distant relatives in older photos—of anyone I couldn't recognize on my own.

Once it's finished, this will be my gift to our daughter. Not this year. I'll give her our family history book sometime in the future (when she's much older).