Today, January 21 we celebrate Grandmother’s Day (pol. Dzień Babci) and January 22 we appreciate Grandfather’s Day (pol. Dzień Dziadka).

In our world which seems to be rocked by stormy seas of fear and anxiety, Poland is a wonderful safe harbor where families still honor their elders, their grandparents. Many adults were provided with care as infants and children by their grandparents because beside fathers, their mothers were forced to work for infrequently mediocre wages as political transitions imposed economic hardship.

For 50 years after the end of WWII, Poland was unjustly assigned its distressful fate behind the Iron Curtain. This meant that Polish society was not only stripped of Western relief like the Marshall Fund, but Poles were forced into practically slave labor which built the Soviet controlled socialist economy, euphemistically called the Council of Mutual Economic Assistance (pol. RWPG). Several generations of Poles owe their upbringing to their Grandmothers and Grandfathers. Beside the excellent manners, beautiful tradition and a most secure optimistic outlook on life embedded on those grandchildren who were so fortunate, the continuity of nationhood was defended. The unfathomable wealth and indomitability of Polish culture survived centuries of attacks by barbaric forces thanks to heroic Polish Grandmothers and Grandfathers.

We salute all those Grandparents who are with us today and we pray for the souls of the Departed.
Niech żyją Babcia i Dziadek! Long live Grandma and Grandpa!

Beatrix Czerkawski