In September, my husband and
I were blessed to visit New England, a long-sought after vacation. I had
learned a few of my ancestors arrived in America on the 1620 Mayflower, settling
in Plymouth, Massachusetts. I wanted to see and learn more about the area where
they lived.
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Celebrated Author
Fay Klingler
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I was in awe to learn of
their courage, industry, and stamina. I wanted to share some of what I learned
with my grandchildren so they might appreciate their roots. After all, don’t we
attempt to program our grandchildren for success by noticing their good works
and reminding them they are strong and worthy? We want to inspire them to know
they are more capable than they ever thought possible. We give hugs and make
comments like, “I know that was hard for you, but look how well that turned
out!”
With the Thanksgiving season
upon us, I chose to take some of what I learned about our ancestors and put it
in a small, easy-to-print pamphlet that I could mail to each of my
grandchildren—a pamphlet with their individual names linked with our family heroes
of the past. I included pictures from my trip to Plymouth.
Every one of us has a number
of heroes in our family. One may have fought for religious freedom, another his
or her country’s independence. Do we talk about our ancestry (or current-time
heroes) and what they gave up to choose the right? When we share those
real-life stories with our grandchildren, we empower them to stand up to their
own challenges, for they recognize those strong character traits to be a part
of themselves. We teach them that those traits of courage, kindness, and
integrity run through their veins!
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I took these ideas from my book The LDS Grandparents’ Idea Book, published by Deseret Book. http://www.amazon.com/LDS-Grandparents-Idea-Book-ebook/dp/B00HCN9FPE/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1446501153&sr=8-3&keywords=fay+klingler
Fay A. Klingler is the author of the best-selling book The LDS Grandparents’ Idea Book, I Am Strong! I Am Smart! and many other books and articles (www.fayklingler.com). She can be contacted on her Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/FayKlingler.
Read more guest Granny articles from Fay:
Thanks for sharing.
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