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movies, if you have them. While
Grandparents and the our pictures may be worth a

thousand words, our feelings
Art of Our Legacy convey much more. “Only the
passionate were immortal, it
seemed. If you fought, screwed,
screamed, laughed, of otherwise
By: Pat Patterson
experienced life intensely, for

I wonder how many grandparents we have in our club. better or worse, you left a rec-
ord. Those who lived a quiet,
Children grow strong and thrive with loving grandparents. Children well-behaved, well-tempered
also benefit from the wisdom and influence of grandparents. Our
life? Gone without a trace,”
grandchildren are the crown of men and women. I am guessing that
the most of us are over 55 within The Club of WestPark! We have Magnus Flyte, City of Dark
lived a good life, but what about our Legacy? What about our memo- Magic. I know we are not gone
ries? I can’t clearly remember sometimes! “What you knew isn’t lost. without a trace because of our
family and friends here at The
You only hide it till you’re tested, till it’s time to remember. And sure
Club at West Park! We can leave
enough, when you want, you’ll find some odd, funny, beautiful way to
our memories passed on to our
find it again,” Richard Bach.
friends, kids, and grandkids. “Everyone must leave something, behind
when they die…. Something your hand touched some way, so your
What can I say about these grandkids with all their iphones and
soul has somewhere to go when you die…. It doesn’t matter what you
tablets; it is like they are dug into their egos! How can anyone find a
way into their young lives? There are several ways you can make do, so long as you change something from the way it was before you
time. It is one of your secret weapons as a grandparent. Find the magic touched it into something that’s like you after you take your hands
and mystery of a pocket watch or an old doll special to you. Bring to away,” Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451. Our grandkids are that legacy!
life those features that make you the grandparent you have become! “Just about the time a woman thinks her work is done, she becomes a
Next, do the little things like reading your old cards or letters that you grandmother,” Edward H. Dreschnack. Becoming a Grandparent is the
received, maybe an old trinket you cherished on one of your many fun part! We go about our lives, but one of the high lights is our kids
travels. You could also send them an email just to see how their day is and grandkids!

going. You are going to need to come into their world a bit, but you As we shelter in place, our homes can force us away from our
can do it! “You’re master of what you’ve lived, artisan at what you’re friends and relatives! “I don’t care if people forget me. My Legacy
living, amateur at what’s next to live.” Richard Bach. You can also be wasn’t about me. It was about everything I could do for another. When
a living library sharing your past family history. Share your stories of that sinks in…. well you try a little harder. You dream a little broader.
what it was like growing up. Refer to them about the good old days, Your heart stretches a little farther and you find that you can’t go back
your first car, or using a dial to the same place and make it fit. You become a person of ideas and
phone tied to the wall by a seek out your own kind. And then it happens: one day you discover
cord. You also need to that staying the same is scary and changing has become your new
transmit values, because home,” Shannon L. Alder. What can we do? We have found we can
your grandchildren have Email, Zoom, and message to others with a smile and share memories.
different concepts; like “I am convinced that the greatest legacy we can leave our children are
commitment, respect, hon- happy memories: those precious moments so much like pebbles on the
esty, sacrifice, responsibil- beach that are plucked from the white sand and placed in tiny boxes
ity, faith, work, even love. that lay undisturbed on tall shelves until one day they spill out and
You may have a unique op- time repeats itself, with joy and sweet sadness, in the child now an
portunity to help shape their adult,” Og Mandino. What memories have you locked away in a box,
young mind. Remember to a past argument, or your heart that you have not shared? Your Legacy
“Carve your name on depends on you. Don’t wait, Ellen DeGeneres said, “My grandmother
hearts, not tombstones. A started walking five miles a day when she was sixty. She’s ninety-
legacy is etched into the seven now, and we don’t know where the hell she is!”
minds of others and the sto-
ries they share about you,”
Shannon Adler. P.S. “The only thing that matters, at the end of a stay on earth, is how
well did you love? What was the quality of your love?” Richard Bach.
Share your pictures and I am going to ask your grandkids!

August 2020 Page 13