Do you see that house on your old street?

The one that has been there, as we say, forever?

The house where the parents are now grandparents.

Twenty years ago, this was the house all the kids stopped on their way home from school for a piece of candy.

Now the neighborhood has changed.

All the kids are grown and gone.

They have families of their own.

Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas are a shell of what they once were in this neighborhood.

The streets are quiet.

Children are not giggling down the street and waving hello as they play in their front yards.

Young mothers are not struggling with grocery bags as they prepare for Thanksgiving dinner.

Santa is not stopping by every house as he once did.

Now the street is dark, and the grandparents wait by the moonlight for some activity, any activity.

As the holidays approach, consider stopping by “that old house.”

Let them see your child, even if it is just a wave from the driveway.

Give them the chance to smile and say, “Wow, they are so big and have grown so much!”

Stop by this Thanksgiving, so they know you are thankful for them; maybe bring them a homemade pie.

Don’t forget about them at Christmas.

Let them know how fond you are of the memories you have from your old neighborhood and maybe even their home.

Let them know they are not forgotten.