A blessing for parents and grandparents in the family business
Recognizing the role of the senior generation (Isaiah 46:4)
While I’m working on my next series about “wilderness” in the family business, I’m posting a few popular reflections from the past. Last week I offered a blessing for the younger generation’s return. This week my focus is on aging parents or grandparents in the family business. Have a wonderful Memorial Day!
Henry David Thoreau wrote “None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.” By this measure, if Mr. Thoreau had looked inside a family business, he’d see very few old people. The senior generation is often as enthusiastic about the business, or more so, than they were in the early days.
But we still grow old. Once, as we walked laps around the park in Garden City, Kansas, my grandfather Roger told me, “Lance, the parts are wearing out!”
This blessing is for aging parents or grandparents in the family business. They have often been around so long, and they are so woven into the fabric of the business, that their many gifts, and their internal struggles, can seem invisible. Consider this blessing as you remember or celebrate with them this holiday.
It is not easy to see you grow old As your body and your mind begin to decline At times together, at times unequally Yet your interest, passion, and drive for work still hold. My mind’s eye sees you as the stronger The leader, the pace-setter, full of wisdom and help Shaping who we are and how we do business Laying the foundation for generational success. But I know as you age, the picture is complex You wrestle with issues of fairness for heirs You second-guess past decisions you made You struggle with our changes, and letting go of the role you once played. In our family business we too easily assume Your abundant gifts and your ever-present support. God grant us the grace to recognize, with honesty and honor The contributions you’ve made, the intent of your heart. As you grow old with us, may God bless you with The vision to see how you may best serve others, and The courage to finish the tasks you know need done. The humility to embrace your anxieties, and The ability to savor the fruit of a long life, faithfully lived. The words to speak to us from deep within your soul, and A feeling of peace over all the remaining days of your life.
Even to your old age I am he,
and to gray hairs I will carry you.
I have made, and I will bear;
I will carry and will save. (Isaiah 46:4)