Grandparents Day

Today is National Grandparents Day — the Sunday after Labor Day, every year. And you know I can’t let this one pass, because everything I believe traces back to a grandmother and a porch light.

Grandparents occupy a particular place in a life. They love you one step removed from the daily job of raising you, which frees them to love you a little more simply. They’ve seen enough decades to know what actually matters and — crucially — what doesn’t. The best of what they give us isn’t advice. It’s presence. The standing invitation. The light left on.

If your grandparents are still here: call them today. Not a text — a call. Ask them a question about their life you’ve never asked. They are a library, and libraries don’t stay open forever.

And if they’re gone, as mine are: light something in their honor. A candle, a memory, a porch light. Tell one of their stories to someone today. That’s how the light stays on.

Grandparents are a library, and libraries don’t stay open forever. Call. Ask the question you’ve never asked.

What’s one thing a grandparent taught you — on purpose or just by being who they were?