The extended family's history scroll is shipped from one relative to
another in a mailing tube. Each family adds a paragraph or so about
what happened to them since the previous go-round that might be of
interest to others. Generally, the messages are hand scribed, but may be
typed and snapshots pasted on or attached with plastic adhesive tape.
When a scroll becomes too large for easy handling it may be retired and
stored with one of the family members and a note added to the next
scroll stating where the preceding scroll is stored.
What's In It for You?
Long-term studies of large communities offer evidence that individuals
with strong family and social ties tend to be healthier than who live in
isolation.
A conference of doctors and social scientists proposed a theory that
altruism, particularly when the helper observes its benefits, can reduce
feelings of helplessness and depression and thus enhance health. Also,
persons who came in direct contact with those that they aided reported a
strong and lasting sense of satisfaction, even exhilaration, an increased
sense of self-worth, less depression, and fewer aches and pains.
Relating the theory to the theme of these notes, what a grandparent gets
back often depends to the value he or she places on, and the efforts he or
she makes toward building positive intergenerational relationships. If
family has significance, then interacting with a grandchild, near or
faraway, manifests that significance and the returns it generates.
'Returns' imply 'investments.' As grandparents age, their 'investment' is
transformed into a 'return.' The 'return' contributes vitality, vibrancy and
enrichment to a grandparent's latter years.