When my daughter and son-in-law announced in May of 2021 that they were moving to Seattle with my then almost-one-year-old granddaughter, I was both happy for them and sad for me. It was a great opportunity for them and a chance to explore a new area of this beautiful country we live in, but it really posed great consternation for me and my husband. They had been living near Columbia, and we had gotten plenty of opportunities to spend time with them and our newest granddaughter.  All the other grandchildren up to this point lived in the Charleston area, and I did not realize how much I had taken that proximity for granted. We have been grateful that Alaska Air flies direct to Seattle every day, so at least the travel part was as simple as it could be given the distance involved, and we have been really motivated to intentionally stay connected.

Long-Distance Grandparenting by Wayne Rice spells out some ideas and practical tips on how to encourage the faith of your grandchildren from a distance. God has given us a role in our grandchildren’s lives, and we have a responsibility to teach them about God’s love for them. The book recommends the following:

1. Prayer is the first and maybe the easiest way to stay connected and to talk with our heavenly Father about them. He loves them more than we do (hard to imagine!) and it is His desire for them to know and love Him too! We currently have seven grandchildren and pray specifically for each one on their day of the week. (I guess we will start doubling up if we are blessed with more!)

2. Visits are the ones I like the most! We had never been to the Pacific Northwest, and our trips to see them  have opened up a new area that is spectacularly beautiful. Besides trips to explore the area, we use that time to help our adult children by taking over some of the responsibilities for them, such as school pickups and carpooling to after-school activities and play dates. This gives us special time with the grandchildren to get to know them better and for them to get to know us as more than a face on the cell phone. As they get older, we are initiating times when they can come to stay with us in South Carolina for extended visits, usually in the summer months when school is out. This provides time for them to attend VBS (if the schedule allows––this year’s VBS is June 9–12, and registration information is on the front page).

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Grandparenting, Macmurphy, continued from page two

We are also looking into going with them to GrandCamp when they are old enough. If your grandchildren will be entering 2nd–6th grades this fall, consider taking them to GrandCamp, which this year is June 16-20 at Epworth By the Sea Conference Center on St. Simon’s Island in Georgia. Register on our diocesan website:

adosc.org/event/grandcamp.

3. Technology allows us to stay in touch in a more tangible way than a regular phone call. Marco Polo allows for sending videos in real time, and Facetime is our go-to for conversation that feels almost face-to-face. We love interacting with them and sharing nature moments whenever they come up. We have a very active bird feeder in our yard and so do they, so we compare the activity and enjoy naming the different birds.

4. Resources: There are so many books and shows that can help us point our little ones to Jesus. When I find books and shows that have been recommended by others, I try to send them to them. The Jesus Storybook Bible is a great hit with them. As they get older, we will try to have a regularly scheduled reading of a chapter book (like the Chronicles of Narnia or the Wingfeather Saga). Another idea a friend of mine has done is to gift 12 “Books of the Month” for Christmas for each grandchild. You can get them inexpensively at library sales. Make age-appropriate selections, add a few faith-building books, wrap each individually, and then give all 12 wrapped books as a Christmas gift for the kids to open the first of each month. Tell them you want them to call you when they open each book––so fun!

5. Mail: The “old-fashioned” snail mail is still a hit, especially with cards at Valentine’s and other holidays, as well as spontaneous treats, toys, and books.  Check out the Generations Ministry lending library to review faith-building books that you could have Amazon send your grandchildren.

6. Special family events, gatherings or vacations: Last year we spent the week of Thanksgiving at the beach, which was very memorable.  We do share holidays with the other set of grandparents as well, trying to alternate so that Christmas can be celebrated in both South Carolina and Washington.

Long-Distance Grandparenting really emphasizes that something is better than nothing, so even if you haven’t begun to find your way to make these connections, there is no time like to present to start. We have been truly blessed by our time with these precious gifts from God and are looking forward to many more opportunities to be with them and point them to the wonderful relationship with Jesus that we know. You can check out Long-Distance Grandparenting from the Generations Lending Library (in the Parlor of the church office) or purchase your own copy on Amazon.