Because one of the primary reasons I decided to retire in 2021 is my desire to spend more time with my four grandchildren, I’ve been thinking about something that is called Legacy Grandparenting. I’m still learning about what this might mean for me.
Our church delivered care packages to all of the grandparents on National Grandparents Day. There is a group called Legacy Coalition and their mission is to “Inspire Grandparents to Grandparent on Purpose.” This is a Christian organization and they will be holding a summit in March of 2021. I’m thinking about attending and learning more about this.
In our gift bags, we received a list of resources that included links to websites, books, and music. My two favorite resources were “ways you can intentionally pray for your grandchildren” and “eight spiritual practices you can try.”
For the prayer, they provided prompts for the various age groups. Right now, I have preschool and school-age grandchildren I can pray for. However, I know that sooner than I would like, I’ll be committed to pray for my youth, college-age, and even young adult grandkids. But I don’t really want to think about that right now!
For the eight spiritual practices, they included:
- Asking questions
- Blessings
- Intentional Meals
- Prayer
- Teaching
- Reading and memorizing scripture
- Telling God-stories
- Sharing the Gospel
When I think about my legacy with my grandkids, I wonder what they will remember about me after I’m gone. Will they remember the trips we took together, meals we shared, birthdays, and holidays? Will they remember that we laughed and played and had fun? Will they remember the things I tried to teach them during Nana Camp last the summer? Will they remember meaningful conversations about life and how they felt when they were with me?
If you are thinking about retirement and are considering your legacy with your grandkids, I would love to hear your ideas of ways you are intentionally grandparenting. I’m excited for this next chapter and with more free time then I’ve ever had, I don’t want to waste a minute!
Some resources I will be exploring:
Legacy Coalition – LegacyCoalition.com
Grand Kids Matter – grandkidsmatter.org
Christian Grandparenting Network – christiangrandparenting.net
Barbara is the new star of the Rock Your Retirement show! For one year, she'll let Kathe Kline tag along as she goes through her retirement journey.
