September. Thirty days have September. Do you remember this rhyme? Some ancient smart person must have invented mnemonics a fancy word meaning tricks, or devices for remembering things hard to remember. In September, we have our first autumn day, and the first Sunday after Labor Day is national Grandparents Day. Although it is called Grandparents Day, the purpose is to honor all older citizens.

Have you wondered who started Grandparents Day? It was Mrs. Marian McQuade of Oak Hill, West Virginia. She is the mother of 15 children and 18 grandchildren. She shared her grandmother's concern for the elderly, and often visited residents in nursing homes. She realized many residents were forgotten, except for Christmas and birthdays. Her experiences with the elderly motivated her to lead a five year campaign for a national holiday, honoring the nation's elderly. In 1973, she persuaded the governor of her home state of West Virginia, to proclaim Grandparents Day. She then wrote letters to the governor of all 50 states, asking them to do the same. The same year, she worked with a West Virginia Senator to introduce legislation about Grandparents Day in the US Senate. The bill passed, but it took Mrs. McQuade five more years of almost single handed lobbying members of the House of Representatives to get a joint resolution out of Congress. It was in 1978 that President Jimmy Carter signed the proclamation, establishing Grandparents Day to be the first Sunday in September, following Labor Day. Mrs. McQuade hopes that this interest in older people will last all year long, not just on the special day she started.

Warm thought: The cards and gifts I prize the most from my children and grandchildren were handmade. Marian McQuade. Happy Grandparents Day!

Warm Thoughts from the Little Home on the Prairie Over a Cup of Tea by Luetta G. Werner

Published in the Marion Record September 4th, 1997.

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Till next time,

Trina