What wisdom have you learned from your grandparents?

Question

Hi. I'm a member of the R+S forum, and this is my first foray into your territory.

The above question is one I've asked a few times in R+S, and the answers I receive are always beautifully written, heartfelt, and a joy to read.

If you will, please take a few moments to share some of the things your grandparents have taught you, and the impact these lessons have had on you today.

Thanks to all for answering.

Universal Pants...I had a grandmother who enjoyed her pipe and the occasional chew. Naughty grandmas are a joy.

Answer 1

What a great question. As my grandparents are approaching the age (I'm 33 and still have 3/4 grandparents) when things start to go wrong health wise..I have spent the last few years pondering just this question (not just this question but have spun this one from time to time). I just lost a very good friend yesterday. He was 89, and was just about the kindest old man you could meet. He was a former pastor, he helped anyone who asked to the best of his ability. He and I spoke as often as we could. Yet I regret not having more time to spend with him. He always saw good in people...even the worst. To me he was a small reflection of the patience of Christ.

My Grandparents and others of their generation (the generation of WW2) are dying off now. They lived through the depression, and are to me the greatest generation.

My wifes Grandmother is 92 and still keeps a garden, she makes sure that every tomatoe is picked when it is ripe and canned or given to someone. They lived in a time when food was not so plentiful and they saw value not just in simple things like vegetables..but they saw the value of people. How each individual around you has value. We as a culture have lost this.

I am of the X generation and I got along better with the WW2 generation than their self-centered, baby booming children. I fear much is going to be lost with that generation, I feel it is my job to keep alive all that I can of that generation and pass it on to my children, I have 5. Here are 10 things I learned from my Grandparents and other wonderful people of the Greatest Generation:

1. Having a lot of Children is a wonderful thing...not an inconvenience. They are our legacy.

2. All people have value and deserve respect, we are not all just hapless faces in the perverbial crowd.

3. Hard work pays off. The more you labor the less time for idle thoughts and actions.

4. Spend TIME with people.

5. Like your work, Love your family

6. Get to know your neighbors and their families..community is vital.

7. Get to church on Sunday and be right with God.

8. Take your talents and do something with them.

9. Value others above yourself. The good of the many outweighs the good of the few or the one (yeah its a Wrath of Khan quote too).

10. A little pain and hardship goes a long way to building character. Don't take the quick fix, the easy pill. Endure hardship, but don't be afraid to ask for help and always be ready to lend it...even when not asked for.

again great question.

Answer 2

The only grandparent I ever knew was my maternal grandmother. She taught me to embroidery, crochet, tat, and make quilts. She taught me how to play Books with cards and Seven Rock with dominoes. Since she couldn't walk very far, all these things she taught me, sitting on her bed with her propped up against the headboard. She had a favorite saying that has never left me..."Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without". It has pretty much been my Mantra my whole life.

Answer 3

My grandmother (father's mother) taught me so much...she knew alot about plants and animals..and she passed that on to me...and I now find myself doing that to my children & grandchildren...sometimes I miss her so much...I only got to be around her for 16 years, but I can remember her talking to me about certain things that happen in everyday life...One thing in particular is:
she taught me to learn something NEW everyday...I still try to do this...and I have even used it several times answering questions here...I think its great to be able to pass things on to my children and my grandchildren that I learned from her...and I do let them know that wisdom came from her...another thing she taught me was PATIENCE...one time someone said to me that I had the patience to JOB...to me that meant alot...because it was because of her patience with me, I could also be like this...
Several months ago, my granddaughter asked me: Grandma, how did you get so smart.?? I was shocked to say the least.
and I told her about learning something new everyday...she said: I think I will remember that...I CRIED...
She brought up seven boys during the depression, and NEVER threw anything away...I am very sure I also got that from her...and both my son's have the same problem...lol...how can you get mad at someone for this when you do it yourself...
She told me, as soon as you throw something out you will need it the next day for sure...she was right.!! lol

Answer 4

my grandma was from the hills and didn't ever have much money for anything so she lived off the land, everything had a use. if you killed a chicken you ate everything but the guts (and then some of those, like the "egg bag")anyway head, legs, feet. all of it. she could make fried squirrel that would melt in your mouth and she could make a turtle taste excellent.
crawdads and mountain oysters not to mention coon and groundhog. the lesson my grandma taught me was that you could make it .....if you put your mind to it.

Answer 5

My grandma used to always say this poem to me that went like: "Accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative". And she would tell me that whenever I was upset. My grandmother has passed away, but anytime I'm upset, I think of her saying that to me and I feel so much better. Its not just the advice from it, its just being able to picture her saying it and remembering when she was alive and happy. That's what makes that piece of advice so special to me.

Answer 6

My Granddaddy used to tell me:

The wise old owl lived in an oak...the more he heard the less he spoke...the less he spoke the more he heard...the wise old owl was a wise old bird.

My Granddaddy died when I was 14. I am now 49.

And, he was right.

Answer 7

My grandmother, a devout Mormon, smoked one cigarette every Friday and wore "Brut" even though she knew it was for men... she said "just a little bit of naughty can go along way."

I loved that... and I always remember to keep it to a "little bit."

Answer 8

My grandma used to say that you should treat people like you would want to be treated,and she also used to say that children should be seen and not heard.

Answer 9

keep your eyes and ears open and your mouth closed.

best lesson i've ever learned.

Answer 10

My grandfather told me, "Don't be stupid" a couple days before he died.