I met Leslie Zinberg at a blogger event a few months ago. Warm, friendly and oozing with Texan personality, she told me that she and her friend, Pam Siegel, had written a book about grandparenting. “How wonderful,” I said. “I am not a grandparent, so I don’t know how relevant it would be for me, but I do have a lot of friends who are grandparents. Maybe they would enjoy it.” She encouraged me to read it, claiming that everything in the book would have relevance no matter my stage of life. I gratefully accepted the book and began to pour over it. When I am wrong, I admit it, and I was completely wrong! Page after page of this book is relatable and relevant.
Pam Siegel, whose mother’s family originates from my hometown of Winnipeg, is a therapist who specializes in mindfulness, which has become the word and goal of this decade. As Pam explains, being mindful is “paying attention to what is happening in the present moment, just as it is, without judgment.”
Leslie Zinberg has had many professional incarnations. She is a teacher, an author and a successful interior designer. But it is her role as a grandparent that brought about her website, Grandparents Link, and ultimately this wonderful book.
As you read through the chapters each one begins with a thoughtful quote by which you will be profoundly affected. On the opposite page to the quote is a touching yet humorous exchange between grandparent and grandchild. You will laugh as you nod in recognition, and your heart will surely melt. The book suggests fifty-two ways to implement mindfulness into your everyday life and ultimately all of your interactions, no matter with whom, based on these touching stories.
Being a grandparent is absolutely NOT required, but being a human being, particularly at this historic time, is. Living through this Coronavirus pandemic is why you will relate to each wise word and perhaps even be moved to action. This could not have come at a better time. I have referred back to the chapters that I read two months ago, as they serve as reminders for me to slow down, especially now, and pay close attention to how we arrived at this place and what we can all do to move forward.
And if you are lucky to be grandparents, use this opportunity to impart your life experience and wisdom onto your grandchildren. How lucky are they!
To purchase the book, “Grandparenting, Renew, Relive, Rejoice” click HERE.
