A Grandmother’s Journey To Holiness Lived With Grandchildren

This sharing is about the very personal life of an 81-year old grandma. I suppose this is a blending of my life as a fulltime employee for half a decade, an educator in a Catholic school, and living with a faithful housekeeper in Davao City who provides assistance for my simple, hence, comfortable life. My Teresiana daughter visits me yearly or less often and my son lives in the suburbs of Manila with my four apos.

Psychologists say the first seven years are impressable ones and hence I related with my grandchildren guided by this statement. I was also strong with the idea that I am only a support to the parents. Rather than to tell them directly what to do, I reminded them to follow what the parents tell them especially with their studies.

Then digital technology came in so devastatingly. It had significantly affected the behavior of the children. It took some time for me to be aware of it. While the house has no problem with vices such as drinking, smoking, barkada, etc., the apos are engrossed with the cellular phone and computer entertainment even when eating. Enforcing the rule on the limit of their use is not easy. Furthermore, expressions of desirable behavior do not come easy too. I was bothered.

Right away when the government eased the travel for seniors, I travelled to Manila to live with the apos. I left the comfort, convenience, the relationship and involvement which endeared me to my home in Davao City. My goal was to make my apos just a bit more expressive of their love, gratitude, warmth in relationship, generosity, helpfulness and other desirable traits. Observing their generation, I resolved to adopt some practices.

I must respect and accept their persons, the whole package, always reminding myself each person is a bundle of positives and negatives. I will not get angry, believing that a person learns by reflecting on what was done and what was learned from it. Anger would slowdown the process of reflective learning. Be prompt in affirming. Call someone’s attention to some misgivings in private. Pointing out, going over problems and arriving at solutions take some time. But most of all, pray hard knowing that He orchestrates life and trust in Him, whatever the circumstances are.

As I went over my resolutions, especially the prayer task, I noticed that these are leading me to Him more intensely. Furthermore, the 3 post teen male apos and the soon-to-be-out-of-the-teen female apo surely are very observant if their lola is doing what she is expecting them to do. You then could guess the standard of a Christian person I was exacting of myself.

After six months, I told my daughter that I was able to meet my first set of goals. I could already hear the magic words said casually. I myself felt significant improvements in my Christian life. I had become more prayerful. I join the rosary and the online mass in Our Lady of Manaoag in the morning daily plus praying 3 novenas, also daily. I had done what I was asking the apos to do and more. I am afraid that I may had benefited more from my goalsetting for my apos than they were! Thank you Lord for this rare privilege of being a grandma! It is so gratifying as it accelerates my life to come closer to you.