Lessons Our Grandparents Taught Us

Editor's Note: This story was originally published in 2016.

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In honor of Grandparents Day coming up on Sunday, we turned to Facebook and asked Next Avenue readers to answer the question: What valuable or important lesson did Grandpa or Grandma teach you?

As usual, we were delighted with the responses. Some were wry: “The best thing to make for dinner is reservations,” quipped Patrice Scully-Murray. Others were tender: “My grandmother accepted everyone and made all children feel as though they were special and her favorite,” wrote Barb Lavell.

Readers wrote about baking tips, Tonka trucks, civic duties and crocheting left-handed. Many mentioned unconditional love and unending patience. Go to our Facebook page to read them all and add your own to the thread. And because nothing spells "love" quite like an acrostic, we've boiled down some of our favorite lessons into a poem that spells "Grandparents Day."

Gardening is gratifying. (Harrison Karon)

Real love is unconditional and celebrates the individual. (Sally Johnson Maddox)

Always fill up your gas tank before you go home. (Dianne Schmoyer)

Never give up. (Keta Helen)

Decide whether you like something after you try it.  (Tammy Phillips)

Pray. (Yeoux Leigh)

Always look for the humor in a difficult situation. (Hannah Rogers)

Relish beauty in simple things. (Antoinette Brinkman)

Enjoy today. (Julie Capper Ponder)

Never put anything in writing that you wouldn't want published. (Mary Catharine Ginn Kolbert)

Time is more important than toys. (Denice McElhaney)

Service to others is a gift. (Adrienne Manpearl)

Don’t take your right to vote for granted. (Suzanne A. Rymer)

Accept others with open arms. (Liana Erdman Bateman)

You are important. (Marjorie Sell)