The Village Chronicles Podcast
Welcome to The Village Chronicles Podcast, where we celebrate the age-old wisdom of "It Takes A Village To Raise A Family." Our name pays tribute to the belief that no one should face life's challenges alone. We believe in the power of a diverse community, where people of all ages can gain valuable insights from shared wisdom, experiences, and perspectives.
Join your host Keith & Silvia Harvel on this podcast journey. Each week we will bring together different voices, personalities , and perspectives from our family, friends, and people from our communities. Each offering unique insights and knowledge.
Our motto is "Together, We Thrive." Our mission is to stay united in the understanding that it truly takes a village to raise a family and build a community. We are a community of individuals connected by the pursuit of growth, self-discovery, and the relentless pursuit of a fulfilling life.
The Village Chronicles Podcast
The Grand Adventure: Embracing the Joy of Grandparenthood
It felt like only yesterday when Silvia and I stood hand in hand, uncertain of what the future held after the Loma Prieta earthquake. Fast forward through three decades of love, laughter, and life lessons, and here we are on the cusp of a new adventure—grandparenthood. As we eagerly await the arrival of our first grandchild, we invite you to join us in a heartfelt conversation about family, memories, and the invaluable role of grandparents. Silvia, with her infectious excitement for her soon-to-be "G-Ma" moniker, shares stories of the past and dreams for the future, emphasizing the significance of passing down tradition and joy.
This episode is a small window of our life's journey and the legacies we're eager to weave into the lives of our grandchildren. We unveil the essence of grandparenting through the lens of our own experiences, from the cherished moments with our grandparents to the values we plan to impart. Silvia reminisces about dancing to the rhythms of childhood songs and how it shaped her creative spirit—a gift she's prepared to bestow upon our grandkids. Together, we navigate the evolving landscape of what it means to be a grandparent today, celebrating the stories that connect us and the anticipation of creating new ones. So, pull up a chair and gather 'round as we share the joy, the wisdom, and the playfulness that grandparenthood promises to bring into our lives—and perhaps, inspire you to embrace the beauty of this enriching family bond.
Welcome back to another heartwarming episode of the Village Chronicles podcast. I'm your host, Keith Harvel, and today's episode is extra special as we explore and share our journey to grandparenthood. By my side, my wonderful wife and soon to be grandma. Welcome, Silvia.
Speaker 2:Thank you, thank you.
Speaker 1:My grand baby's gonna call me G-Pa. Have we decided on a grandma nickname for you yet? No, not yet I got a couple. How about Cita Mama. No Grandma. Sylvie no Grand Mama.
Speaker 1:Maybe, Mmm, grand Mama. Okay, let me mark that down, all right, how about G-Maw, possibly? Come on like G-Paul. I'm G-Paul, you G-Maw? Mmm, I like that, you know. I'll tell you this past year has been a very busy year for us, you know, with family in our household and outside of our household. Illness hit our family. Work has been crazy. Our daughter, jackie and Sean got married in January and are expecting our first grandbaby in March.
Speaker 2:That's right.
Speaker 1:Time. Don't wait on nobody.
Speaker 2:Right, right, and I'm so excited. I can't wait to be a grandparent. The anticipation is driving me nuts.
Speaker 1:Yeah, me too, that's for sure. You know who'd have thought over 35 years ago, when we met, we would have envisioned A doing a podcast to share with the world a little piece of our journey to becoming grandparents? Heck, we weren't even thinking about parenthood back then. All right, you know? I mean what was it?
Speaker 1:A week after the Loma Prieta earthquake, living in San Jose, california, you know, we didn't have power for about a week or so and I gave you a call and I was like, hey, let's go to the movies. The movie theaters are back up. You know, I don't even remember where we went to watch, but you said, yes, we went to the movies, got there 20 minutes late after the movie started. You didn't want to stay and watch it. I didn't want to stay and watch it. I said, hey, you know what, I'm hungry. Let's go back to my place. I can cook us a nice chicken dinner and we got plenty of VHS's.
Speaker 1:We didn't have DVD back then. Some people did, but my house didn't. So we went back and watched a movie and ate some chicken, and the rest is history, y'all. You know, years later we had three beautiful children and all of them are functioning, healthy, active adults, but one thing that was great was that our children were able to spend really quality time with their grandparents, something that you know I wasn't able to do. My grandmother lived in Kansas City, missouri. My grandfather on my dad's side didn't know him too well, and my mother's side, my grandfather and my grandparents, my grandmother and my mom's side died when I wasn't even born yet, and then my my grandfather died when I was 10.
Speaker 1:So I didn't really have a grandfather model, but I did have role models in the family granduncles, aunties that kind of kind of slid in and helped me to see what a grandparent or an elder was like in a family, and that really intrigued me and us. You know, when, when our children were born, they've always had a very, very solid, strong relationship with grandma and grandpa. You know, they know what a a grandparents job is in the family and you know we're going to discuss a lot of that here in a minute. But I think that's what impacted our lives back then and it still impacts us today, right, you know, and it kind of is what generated us wanting to put this out to the world, our experience, but just to highlight and celebrate, you know, grandparenthood, I mean, the impact was huge, it was really huge for our family.
Speaker 2:So Yep, one of my favorite memories of my mother was when I was a child. She would play this Spanish album called crickery from Francisco Soled, and we would dance and play out the scenes to each story. This taught me how to be creative, to be silly and enjoy life, and I plan on sharing that with my grandchildren.
Speaker 1:That's awesome. I remember that Cri-Cri, a little CD that we had. That's a little song. I used to sing it all the time. I can't remember what it said, but I as for sure didn't have a cricket on the front or something like that yes.
Speaker 1:I do. Yeah, I thought it was a cricket, you know there was Jepeta or something when I first saw it. Man, but yeah, that's awesome. Yeah, the stories and I think the memories that you know we can Reflect back on are always important to share, that's for sure. You know it's just. You know, think that it's just weird. You know things that has come full circle, you know, when we reflect back on Parenthood and you know, raising the kids and what led us to this milestone, right, you know, but there's some different, there's some certain traits. You know that. You know I wrote down we talked about that.
Speaker 1:I definitely want to share and I think our listeners would love to hear, just Thinking about what the role of the grandparent is. And you know what we learned from the grandparent, and number one is Unconditional love. You know, grandparents, they are renowned for just their love is boundless. You can't contain it, it just spreads everywhere. Just their presence, you know they just naturally provide a sense of security and acceptance. You know, what I learned is they always provide a warm and nurturing environment where grandchildren just feel loved right.
Speaker 2:Right number two would be wisdom and guidance with. Age comes wisdom, and grandparents often share valuable life experiences and lessons. They are the classic been there, done that. They serve as a source of guidance, offering insights that stem from a lifetime of learning and adapting to all kinds of situations.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. When you said been there, done that, I just think of you. Know, my grandma, something is going on. You look over at her. She just shaking her head, you know so.
Speaker 2:I.
Speaker 1:Definitely know the power of that. That wisdom is something that's infectious With all our families, that's for sure. Number three storytelling and tradition. Grandparents are often the keepers of family stories and traditions. They play a vital role in passing down the family's history, values and cultural or religious traditions, creating a sense of continuity across all generations. You know this is so important. This is why we're doing this. You know whether you're recording something or for just audio or video. You know we get a chance to capture history. You know those stories. You know I don't have a lot of those stories from my grandparents other than my grandmother, but I wish I could have heard, like my great, my great grandparents, voices.
Speaker 1:I seen pictures of them, heard my great uncles or my great cousins or somebody you know from the past, past that has a story about history, about really what brought us together, and I truly do think this is a really important aspect to being a grandparent. I can't wait to tell stories to our grandkids. I can't. I can't wait to have them hear this and the future generations hear this. I mean, I think that's just something that's great.
Speaker 2:Right, right and number four spoiling with affection, spoiling grandchildren. The joy of Overindulging grandchildren with love, attention and perhaps a few extra goodies is a badge of honor aspect of grandparent hood.
Speaker 1:Yeah, most parents don't like this one. You always spoiling up. Then we got to go home. We got to live up to you. Sorry, I'm a grandparent, I get a pass next, that's for sure. Number five quality time and play. This is great. Another thing I learned is that grandparents excel at spending quality time with their grandchildren, and whether it's through playing games, sharing hobbies or just being there as a lasting impact on grandchildren, that's for sure.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I can't wait to spoil our granddaughter.
Speaker 1:No, you can't.
Speaker 2:Well, Keith and I found ourselves reflecting on the journey that has led us to this point and Just remembering the laughter and lessons we shared with our own children. 2024 holds the promise of a new chapter in our family story, and we await the moments of our new role and continuous joy that our granddaughter will bring into our lives.
Speaker 1:You're so right, Silvia. I mean there's there's like this buzz of anticipation in our home right now.
Speaker 2:I know my hopes for my grandchildren are that they always rely on God first, whether it's giving thanks or asking for help.
Speaker 1:Amen, you know I think we're gonna be good at this me too. As we wrap up this special episode on journey to grandparent hood, Sylvia and I want to extend our gratitude to our village for sharing in our excitement.
Speaker 2:Thank you for being part of our journey. We can't wait to update you on the newest addition to the village chronicles.
Speaker 1:Until next time, remember Together we thrive. L et's get it. .