St. Bernadette Parish in Appleton shared a reflection about grandparents from the pastor in the Sept. 13 bulletin. 

The Rev. Joe Dorner noted that while he grew up with all of his grandparents, they all passed away when he was between 23 and 42 years old. 

“They helped my parents and aunts and uncles in many ways,” Dorner said. “I remember the story of how the first house my parents bought made by Grandma Laura cry. It was a real mess. Grandma made up her mind. She stayed on the farm and did all the milking for several weeks, sending Grandpa Louis over to exercise his carpentry skill.”

Over the years, the grandparents improved the home and made it a beautiful place to live. 

Dorner recalled how his grandfather remained active for much of his life, even into his 80s, as well as the rich heritage that he was left by his grandparents.

“I remember his stories of the old country, stories his grandfather told him about the old Austro-Hungarian Empire from where his grandfathers emigrated back in 1873— stories about the beauty of the land and why they had to leave,” Dorner said. “It was just the way he said it would be: beautiful rolling hills covered with trees and fields, too small to be mountains, too big to be just hills.”

Dorner’s reflection comes at the same time that we celebrate National Grandparent’s Day. 

“Not everyone has been blessed as I was to know all four grandparents, but I hope most have known and treasured at least one," Dorner said in the bulletin. "Let’s spend some time with them. Let’s take care of them and not let them be lonely. Let’s remember all they did for our parents and perhaps for all of us. And if they are gone, let’s take time to visit their graves and pray for them and remember them, and then smile.”