Heroes and Wise Men

Grandfathers are Like Gold
by Janet Lanese

Grandfathers Are Like Gold offers gems of hard-earned wisdom, advice, and lighthearted humor by and in honor of grandfathers. Full of insight and wit, Grandfathers Are Like Gold celebrates the delights of grandfatherhood — from aging gracefully to spoiling grandchildren. Included are observations from well-known names, such as Garrison Keillor, Jimmy Carter, and Indira Gandhi; words of appreciation from grandkids of all ages; and heartfelt tributes to famous and not-so-famous heroes — making this a collection sure to be cherished by grandfathers for all time.

Chapter 1

Grandparents, like heroes, are as necessary
to a child's growth as vitamins.

Joyce Allston

My grandfather was a wonderful role model.
Through him I got to know the gentle side of men.

Sarah Long

You must teach your children that
the ground beneath their feet is the ashes of
our grandfathers. So they will respect the land,
tell your children that the earth
is rich with the lives of our kin.
Teach your children what we have taught our children,
that the earth is our mother.
Whatever befalls the earth befalls
the sons of the earth.
If men spit upon the ground,
they spit upon themselves.

Chief Seattle

A Grandfather's Wisdom

The Wisdom of making sense of life and appreciating what I've accomplished.
The Wisdom of understanding, and loving my family without judging.
The Wisdom of maintaining integrity regardless of today's social mores.
The Wisdom of accepting circumstances I'm powerless to change.
The Wisdom of preserving my own personal identity, and high esteem.
The Wisdom of adapting to life's cycles and a new generation.
The Wisdom of sharing the pride of roots and traditions.

Charles Walton

A Hero for All Seasons

Forget about all those overpaid sports stars. A real hero is someone who transcends all generations. John Glenn is such a man.

John Glenn, seventy-seven, grandfather, senator, and astronaut, who was born when men took to the skies in rickety biplanes, is no publicity stunt. What he has been, and is once again, is an authentically American, can-do kind of hero, a profile in courage, who now also ranks as a role model for an aging American society in which seniors won't and don't have to settle for a rocker on the front porch. He is a living example of "You're only as old as you feel."

Glenn's flight on the shuttle Discovery not only tested the limits of space but also powerfully validated what older Americans can do and the contributions they can make. It showed us that it's never too late, and that dreams can be pursued at any age.

Once again the veteran TV newsman Walter Cronkite, eighty-two, covered the event, and Glenn's wife, Annie, and their two children looked on, just as they had in 1962, except this time they were accompanied by Glenn's two teenage grandchildren.

Glenn was forty when he first flew into space thirty-six years ago. Doctors who examined him before this flight said he had the heartbeat and other medical measures of a man still in his forties. That's a tribute to the physical regime Glenn and many seniors &mdash including myself &mdash are following these days and which contributes to vitality and longevity.

Glenn's second launch captivated America as no space mission had for decades. "I don't think grandchildren are ever going to look at their grandparents in the same way again," said Robert Butler, one of the nation's foremost gerontologists, and at seventy-one, director of the International Longevity Center at New York's Mount Sinai Medical Center.

Maybe I'm oversentimental, but I think America owed John Glenn this ride. His courage, his energy, and his indomitable spirit remain an inspiration not just to his generation but to all generations. Godspeed, John Glenn! The best is yet to come.

Bernard Bogart

Whether a grandfather is a celebrity,
a millionaire, an intellectual, or just
an all-around good guy,
he is a hero to his grandchildren.
No braver knight ever sat at
King Arthur's Round Table than
the man sitting at the head
of the family dining table.

Linda Coleman

Grandfathers are gentle but strong;
to children they are like a port in a storm,
warm and secure.

Joan Bartlett

Like a father, a grandfather can preach
a better sermon with his life than his lip.

Mel Schmidt

I love to listen to Grandpa's stories. He's a living history book.

Tammy, age nine

Remembering Grandfather Chin

My paternal grandfather, Grandfather Chin, was the only grandparent I ever met, since my mother's parents died before I was born, and my other grandmother never left Hong Kong. Ah Yeah, which translates into "father of my father," was the kindly and humorous old gentleman I remember.

When I was between six and eight, my grandfather ended up being my surrogate parent because of the long hours my parents worked at their restaurant in New Jersey. I recall that he was of slight build and rather hunched, making his short height even more marked. It wasn't until years later, upon seeing his photo, that I realized he had blue eyes &mdash quite remarkable given the Asiatic genetic trait of brown eyes! I somehow later pieced together that there was some definite mixing somewhere along the generations.

I recall the feel of holding his hand as we walked down the street, watching his intense, mischievous eyes, and his walking me home from the restaurant at night. There is a special trust and comfort that I had with him and a sense that he was old, yet not really. He was part of my young life that became memorable, and perhaps that is in some measure why I have been so committed to intergenerational activity &mdash to assure that continuity and caring and value from one generation to the next.

Jennie Chin Hansen

My grandfather always taught us that
the first step of wisdom is silence,
and the second step is listening.

Arnold Betterman

© 2000 Janet Lanese

About the Author

Janet Lanese is a perfect example of a grandmother of the nineties. She combines multiple careers as a real estate broker, a writer for her community newspaper, a co-hostess for a local television program, and a contributing editor for over thirty parenting and religious magazines. Janet Lanese lives in Castro Valley, California, and, even with her busy schedule, she finds time to enjoy her three grandchildren.