Weekly challenge: express gratitude for grandparents

By Deborah Kotz, Globe Staff

Sunday was National Grandparents Day, but how many of us took the time to make a phone call, send a card, or take them out to dinner? Unlike Mothers Day or Fathers Day, Grandparents Day hasn’t quite come into its own. Most of us aren’t even aware that it comes every year on the Sunday after Labor Day.

If you missed it -- like I did -- take a moment this week to express a little gratitude to those who provided unconditional love to you or your children. I lost the last two of my grandparents over the past two years and plan to re-read some of their letters that they wrote to me in college and sleepaway camp.

(I read one aloud at my grandmother’s funeral, in which she described to me how much she loved being a teacher, helping new immigrants in the third-grade class learn the language and culture of a new country.)

I’m also going to call my parents and mother-in-law to thank them for being such wonderful grandparents to my own children. Raising three children and meeting the demands of a full-time job would not be possible without considerable family support.

In case you need a little extra incentive for expressing gratitude, use health benefits as a motivation; research has linked an “attitude of gratitude” to improved sleep, lower anxiety levels, less depression, and stronger life satisfaction.

Deborah Kotz can be reached at dkotz@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @debkotz2.