Did you miss it this weekend?
We did as Sunday, Sept 13, was Grandparents Day in the U.S. an annual holiday which occurs on the first Sunday after Labor Day.
Like many other grandparents, the current pandemic crisis meant that we did not celebrate with grandchildren and family. All live out-of-state in RI and PA. However, we talked with all and received current photos too.
We last visited with all three grandkids was during the 2019 holidays, which seems so long ago. Right now, we're uncertain when the next visits will be, hopefully by early next year, perhaps sooner. All of them have grown in the 9 months since we saw them.
Grandson will be celebrating his 14th birthday in December. He's already as tall as his mom. His sister, granddaughter turned 9 this past July. Both will start online classes today in RI and celebrated with ice cream treats yesterday.
Youngest granddaughter attends pre-school and celebrates her 4th birthday in December.
Here's the background on this holiday.
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| Marian McQuade |
Grandparents Day was created thanks to the efforts of a West Virginia woman Marian McQuade who served on the WV Commission on Aging and the Nursing Home Licensing Board. In the 1970s, she started a campaign to gain support for a holiday to recognize grandparents by emphasizing the wisdom and family history that grandparents can offer family members.
Her idea grew and in 1973, McQuade's home state of West Virginia was the first to proclaim Grandparents Day an annual holiday. She petitioned the nation's governors and Congress to make it a national holiday and 43 states did so. In 1977, West Virginia Senator Jennings Randolph introduced a Senate resolution for a national observance and Congress passed the legislation. In 1978, President Jimmy Carter proclaimed the Sunday after Labor Day as Grandparents Day, first celebrated in 1979. September was chosen to represent the autumn years of life.
McQuade died in 2008 at the age of 91, the mother of 15 children, grandmother of 43, and great-grandmother to 15. On the 10th anniversary of Grandparents Day, the US Postal Service issued a commemorative envelope bearing her likeness.
This holiday is not only celebrated in the US. Many other countries including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Italy, Estonia, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Philippines, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom celebrate a Grandparents Day on various months of the year.
As the late broadcaster Paul Harvey would famously say, and now, you know — the rest of the story.
Last Friday's post ended with a comment about dancing in the street this weekend. That happened Sat night when the Hal McIntyre Orchestra performed Big Band tunes, couples danced on Water St, and kayakers on the Nashua River came to listen. We watched and listened too.
23 comments:
I didn't even know there was (is) a grandparent's day and I am assuming our grandchildren are equally ignorant of it, because they have never acknowledged it! And that's perfectly fine.
Thanks so much for the background on how this holiday began because 1). I had no idea about the history and 2). I totally didn't realize that Sunday was Grandparents Day, so HAPPY BELATED GRANDPARENTS DAY to you and your husband!
Fascinating backstory of how this holiday came to be. And what I especially find so cool is that it's now being celebrated outside the U.S. Which it should be because grandparents should be celebrated!
Love the photo of your grandchildren. OMG, Lilliana is adorable! You can tell that one day she'll most likely be in the entertainment industry because she's got such a great outgoing personality!
Have a great week, my friend!
Ron saw our grandchildren yesterday, but just briefly. He he was watching football on their deck with our son and son-in-law. No one knew it was Grandparents Day though until later. We saw photos of his parents at their assisted living facility where staff went around to give everyone treats.
Your grandchild are beautiful!! I'm glad you get to chat and receive current photos. And I really hope you are able to have a wonderful visit as soon as possible! Even though we haven't seen ours often since the pandemic began, they live in the same town, so we have gotten some short visits.
Have a great week!!
It may be on the Canadian calendar, but I never hear of celebrations. Mothers Day and Fathers Day seem to suffice for Grandparents too.
Missed this one. Never have celebrated Grandparents Day. It's not on my calendar.
Your grandkids are growing up! Our oldest is 6 1/2 and youngest is just 3. One in the middle will be 4 next week.
Aww, I like the part of it being in Autumn. Very fitting! And wow on her number of grandkids!
Yours are very sweet, but I’m sorry you live so far away. We have two. Our grandson just turned 3 and granddaughter is 12 months old. We are lucky they only live 30 minutes away.
Thank you for filling me in...so the day is a relatively new one. I have never celebrated it; however, I did go out for lunch with my youngest grandson and afterward he helped me tear out a flower bed. Grandkid power! I am a believer.
The absence from your family and grandchildren must be felt most keenly. They all look like bright, beautiful human beings. Love the stance that the youngest is taking! 😃
They truly have all grown a lot in the nine months since we last Saw pictures of them and they are all growing so quickly and I can't believe how quickly they have all grown and the years we have been following each other
Not something that I knew existed, we celebrate Mothers day and Fathers day but that is it. Thank goodness for technology in these strange times at least we can keep in touch with family and friends.
Social distancing doesn't go well with couple dancing, but they had the masks on, and it's a nice sight.
Beatrice, Our family has never gotten into Grandparent's Day...and we didn't hear from anyone this weekend. We're always celebrated by kids and grand kids on Mother's Day and Father's Day. That outdoors dance gig is a clever way to break up the monotony... Stay Safe and Take Care, Big Daddy Dave
Hopefully we'll be able to celebrate with our grandchildren in person. Dancing in the street must have been great fun.
Your grandchildren are beautiful! I'm so sorry you couldn't be with them this year.
And thanks so much for providing us with the history of this most important holiday.
I didn't realize that it was grandparents day. Yours are quite beautiful. I don't get to see lots of folks in person anymore. But that's okay because Pogo and I are still free of the virus. The photo of the folks dancing is such a happy photo. You have a wonderful day, hugs, Edna B.
I never knew there was a grandparents day, either. I guess I have missed out for six years--LOL! ;)
How interesting, wasn't aware of such a day yet when I looked it up our Grandparents day is October 27.
Lovely children there and photos.
i wonder why do you have to celebrate it without grand children dear Dorothy ?
is there still lock down where you live ?
i am asking because it is lifted here completely almost,academic institutions have opened today with restriction and everything is back to norm
i am sorry that you missed your gran kids on special day my friend ,well you might have talked and watch them via internet probably thankfully
Lilliana is cutest little girl :))) how fast time fly as i remember when you mentioned her birth and first photo :)
your grand children are growing fast by the grace of lord!
thank you for sharing Marian who invented Grandparents day with her efforts ,what a lady
celebration of this day has not arrived here until now though
what a fun to see street dancing :)
more blessings to you and family my friend!
Such a shame that you can't visit grandchildren at the moment. My kids have not seen their gran since Christmas, they missed visiting in summer.
I didn't know there was a grandparent's day in the UK. Maybe it is a new thing that has not made it into our calendars.
I knew that Grandparents Day existed but had no clue when it was. Thanks for providing information about it.
I hope you'll finally be able to see your grandchildren soon. Thank goodness for all the new technology that keep people in touch.
I've never heard of it in the UK, though apparently it's on Oct 4th and has been in existence for 30 years. I'm sure very few people have heard about it because I worked in a residential school for much of that period and I'm sure someone would have insisted that the children made cards if they knew about it.
The days before Covid seem so long ago.
Rick saw our Toddlers on Sunday. Thanks for the BG on Grandparents Day. I always figured it was invented by Hallmark!
The week slipped by me I think. Very cute to see the grandkids. I didn't realize there was a grandparents day. But there should be since there is a mother's and father's day. I can see some of Patrick in Lilliana. Let's hope you'll be able to see them soon.
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