Editor’s Note: This article is part of a series called “Letters from Grandpa.” Each entry is written by Cory Ishida, who was the senior pastor of Evergreen Baptist Church of San Gabriel Valley until his retirement. During the pandemic, he texted devotions to his grandchildren to encourage them while they were apart. We at the SOLA Network are honored to republish Pastor Cory’s devotions in hopes that they will be a blessing to the church.
There is no shortage of sayings and quotes that permeate the world of grandparents. Here are just a few:
- “Surely, two of the most satisfying experiences in life must be those of being a grandchild or a grandparent.”—Donald A. Norberg
- “Grandparents are the footsteps to the future generations.”—Author Unknown.
- “A grandfather is someone with silver in his hair and gold in his heart.”—Author Unknown.
One saying that is both poignant and precise is, “The days are long, but the years are short.” The older you get, the more meaning this saying has in your life.
I remember the days when our family was a hustling, bustling bundle of corporate energy. When our three girls were small, there were diapers to change, little mouths to feed, and bedtime stories to tell. You would finally catch your breath at the end of the day when they were in their onesies, tucked safely into bed. The days are long.
As they grew older, there was help with homework assignments, attending and coaching sporting events, overseeing piano practices, attending recitals, preparing for proms and graduations, feeding discerning mouths, and doing full-time ministry. The days are long.
Finally, our babies became full-fledged adults, and there were weddings to weep over (with tears of joy), grandbabies to coddle, sporting events to watch and coach, Disneyland to enjoy, vacations to plan, graduations to celebrate, and weddings to someday attend. The days are long.
And then, one day, you realize that things have slowed down… the nest is empty, and days are now long for our three precious daughters and their families. We look back and understand that “Man is like a mere breath; his days are like a passing shadow” (Psalm 144:4). The years are short.
To Silly Grandma and me, the time has flown; where are those days that seemed so long? They are but a faint yet wonderful memory of the seasons of life that God bestowed upon us. The twilight of our lives gives us an opportunity to reflect on the goodness of God over all the years when the days seemed so long.
So, the saying is true — the days are long, but the years are short. As the writer of Ecclesiastes repetitively wrote, life may seem like vanity because the days are long, but the years are short. Nevertheless, I wouldn’t have had it any other way.
Love,
Grandpa