As I have gotten older, I have come to feel the weight of time a little heavier, which has in turn made me think about what kind of message I want to leave behind.
My grandchildren are still young, but growing faster every year, and seeing them discover the world, with their small steps and daunting beginnings… brings me so much joy.
As a parent, I saw my children grow and create a life for themselves, and I was there every step of the way, through ups and downs. But seeing your grandchildren follow in the same footsteps… is something truly magical.
A big part of me wants to take these young ones by the hand, and guide them so that they come to no harm whatsoever, while another part of me knows that they need to forge their own way.
Although I will always be here for them, waiting with my old wisdom. Sometimes they joke about it, saying that I’m a wise old owl, with knowledge from eons past. The cheek of them! Although sometimes I do feel that old.
But to get to the point, recently I have started writing a message, a letter of sorts, to leave for my grandchildren. A message with all the things I want them to know, and all the lessons I have learned in life, that I think will help them with theirs.
And I thought, why not share this with the world? Perhaps it can inspire other grandmothers to write their own letters, and perhaps we can spark a tradition of leaving our knowledge behind, as small beacons of guidance for the young ones in our life.
If you’re interested in this, then please keep reading! I’ll try and convince you of why I think you should also write a message to your grandchildren, and then I’ve put together a list of all the main things I am including in my letter, as the things that I want them to know.
Why write a message to your grandchildren
Let’s start with one of the obvious questions: why write a message to your grandchildren.
Well, the way I see it, why not? There are truly no downsides to leaving a message for your grandchildren, and if anything, it will be a beautiful and treasured keepsake, with things that you want them to know.
But just so that I’m convincing enough, here are the main points I think back this idea up:
- It is a thoughtful thing to do, and something that they will remember you by
- It is a beautiful keepsake that they will (hopefully) keep fondly
- It allows you to express the many different things you want them to know
- It allows you to help guide them through the harder parts of life, even if you are no longer there
- It’s a way of passing on your knowledge and life experience, over to the younger generation
- It ensures you are a part of their life journey, and it is a way of offering your help in a way that still leaves them in charge of their own decisions
All in all, I just wanted to find a way of being there for them, whenever they needed me. Seeing the innocence and purity of their youth, and knowing how tough and cruel the world can be…it’s scary.
I don’t want anything bad to happen to them. But I know I can’t fight their battles for them, so instead, I just wanted to provide some of the tools they might use.
If you do decide to join in on this idea, then please keep on reading!
What I want my grandchildren to know: a message for them
There are a lot of things that I wanted my grandchildren to know, and I wanted to cover pretty much every area in life. However, as I don’t know how their life is going to turn out, I didn’t want to turn the advice into something too specific.
Instead, I just sort of covered different values and concepts that I find to be of essential importance in life, and I gave my little input of wisdom about them.
Of course, if you do end up writing a message to your grandchildren, then you can include whatever you want, and make it as personal and unique to your grandchildren as you desire. I won’t be mentioning all of the personal things that I included, because…well, they are personal!
Instead, I will share with you all of the different values and concepts that I included in some way or another, and that I think are important to mention in some way.
So the list I include below, are some of the main things that I covered, and I’ve also included some of the sentences that I might have written, as well as suggestions for other things that could be said. I hope it is of some help to you!
Things I want my grandchildren to know about
Love, above all:
Love will always be present in your life, and there will not be a single moment in which you are unloved. You will always be in my heart, and you will always be loved unconditionally by those of us closest to you.
You will also find love in other people, and those connections will become the most important. Love is everywhere, do not forget it.
Be kind, always:
It is not always easy to be kind to others, especially in hard or difficult situations. However, you should strive to be kind, always, towards everyone around you. Yes, even those that do not show kindness in return, deep down they will be struggling.
Treat others the way you wish to be treated, and the world shall reward you. People will remember your kindness, and they will be there for you in your time of need.
A single act of kindness can change someone’s life forever, be that change.
Help others whenever you can:
There are many things in life that try to divide people, but we are in this together. All of us humans. Life is hard for us all, and the world is beautiful but treacherous. Do not forget others in their time of need, for we all need each other.
Help people in need, always. And trust that others will also help you when you are in need. We cannot live thinking only of ourselves, happiness is best when shared.
Effort is necessary for success:
Have dreams, and dream them as big as you want. Have goals and aims in life, and strive towards making them a reality. Succeeding can be very difficult, but you can do it. All effort has its reward, in one way or another. Keep trying, and do not give up. It can be hard at times, but your effort is worth it.
Be proud of yourself:
You are a child of the universe, made of stardust and love. You have value and worth, and you are incredible. Be proud of who you are, of every single part that makes up your identity.
And be proud of your accomplishments and your journey in life. It can be easy to compare yourself to others and despair, but you are unique, and nobody else could ever do what you do, in the way that you do it.
Be humble:
We are all human, and we all make mistakes. Perfection doesn’t truly ever exist, for there is always a way in which something can be improved.
Be humble and accept defeat, accept your mistakes, and learn from them. Learn from others, and accept that some are ahead in the journey. You don’t have to be at the top, in order to be a winner.
Strength and resilience:
Life’s journey will be hard at times. You will want to give up, and you will despair. Everything will seem lost, or you will feel too weak to succeed. Have courage. Get up again, as many times as it takes. You have in you the strength of all who love you, and you are far more capable than you might believe.
Keep going, and be strong. You can overcome whatever hurdles the world puts in your path, and you can endure the lows in order to reach the highs. I believe in you, and I always will.
There is always more to learn:
I am old, and as you like to say, wise. And yet, I am still learning. Life always has more to teach, and you can learn something from everyone around you, even those that believe to know nothing.
Be open to learning, and never stop developing your skills. You get better every single day.
Keep an open mind through life:
The world is a myriad of different people and different cultures, and you will come across many different opinions and ideas. Not everyone is the same, and that is okay. We need diversity, we need differences.
Stick by your ideals firmly, but keep an open mind. As I said, there is always more to learn, and you should be open to discovering those differences.
Get involved:
You are a part of this world, get involved with it. This planet is your home, all people are your people. You are here, in this life, for a small amount of time, so leave your mark. Do something that you want to be remembered by.
Your journey is one of your biggest treasures:
Cherish every step of the way, even the lows. Every day is special and it adds something to your life. Your memories make you who you are, and you should treasure them. The past can help you unlock the future!
Your family will always be there for you:
We will always be there for you. Not just me, but your parents and everyone else. Unconditional love and support, no matter what.
And as you grow up, you will find and create your own family too, I can’t wait for you to experience how special that is. We love you very much.
In conclusion
I hope this helps with your own ideas to write a message for your own grandchildren. There is more that can be said, and it’s hard to cover all of the important topics. But those listed are some of the main points I wanted to get through to them, and hopefully it will help guide them through life!
