Chicken Soup for the Grandparent's Soul: Stories to Open the Hearts and Rekindle the Spirits of Grandparents (Chicken Soup for the Soul)

Product Description Today's grandparents aren't content to sit in their rockers doing needlepoint or whittling wood-modern grandparents are healthy and active. Grandma may be traveling the world, writing a book or taking dance lessons and Grandpa might be camping with the grandkids, playing a golf tournament or skydiving! Nana may have entered the family by marrying Grampa later in life, or Pop-Pop may be a beloved family friend who's always there when someone needs him. Families are finding that the meaning of "grandparent" has changed tremendously but that grandparents continue to be treasured members of our families.In this latest addition to the Chicken Soup family, children and grandchildren will relive memories of their parents and grandparents as they read stories of love, humor and wisdom. Each touching tale will inspire them to make the most of the time they still have together and encourage them to seek deeper experiences. Grandparents will learn the value of their contributions to and realize what an honored position they hold within their circle of loved ones. Every reader will gain a new appreciation of the benefits of a close and connected family.This is a perfect gift to show grandparents how much they are loved. About the Author Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen, #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, have dedicated their lives to the personal and professional growth of others.Hanoch McCarty is an internationally acclaimed author and motivator who has presented his stories and research-based insights to audiences around the world. He is the author of Motivating Your Audience: Speaking from the Heart, as well as twenty other books and training programs. The McCartys are coauthors of A 4th Course of Chicken Soup for the Soul; Acts of Kindness; A Year of Kindness; and, The Daily Journal of KindnessMeladee McCarty is a program specialist for the Sacramento County Office of Education and works to provide educational programs for students with disabilities. The McCartys are coauthors of A 4th Course of Chicken Soup for the Soul; Acts of Kindness; A Year of Kindness; and, The Daily Journal of Kindness. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Lemon LoveMy grandfather gave me the world when he gave me his love.I never had to guess if the wonderfully weathered old man, whose eyes smiled brighter than his mouth, loved me. Unlike many of his generation, he believed in saying so. "DonÆt tell my other grandchildren," he would say with a voice become as familiar as my own heart-beat, while he gently herded me to an ice cream stand before supper, "but you are my favorite." It was high praise since I was the 24 th of 27 to be delivered into his happy embrace.Grandpa would have done anything for me, but since love is all about the little things, he was always willing to busy himself with some project meant for my happiness. There was the double-benched swing, crafted in his farm workshop, upon which I spent endless afternoons inhaling the scent of spring wildflowers, while prairie clouds morphed from tempestuous oceans, to families of waddling ducks, to snow-crested mountain peaks only as far away as my imagination made them.In the house, where my grandmother tended an oven that never went cold, I carried baskets full of romping kittens each spring, played tuneless melodies on an antique pump organ and felt safer than I ever have since. Summer months meant that I could spend more time away from the confinements of city life. Only a twenty minute drive from our home, my mother often made the trip with me, past fields of golden wheat, and into the company of my grandfather.On one visit that was meant to be short, I soon forgot myself in the midst of childish bliss. On a tireless red wagon, I pulled all the ingredients of a lemonade stand to the edge of my grandparentÆs property, where a county road intersected a sprinkling of homes,