by Cavin Harper

Next torch stop? Istanbul, Turkey, (once known as Constantinople) home to the natural harbor known as the Golden Horn. Did you know that in 1502, more than 300 years before its engineering principles would be generally accepted, Leonardo da Vinci drew a sketch of a 720 foot single span bridge designed to cross the Golden Horn? Did you know that in May 2006 it was announced that after five centuries Leonardo da Vinci’s bridge will be erected over the Golden Horn, becoming his first architectural project to be built in its original scale at its planned location?

Norwegian artist Vebjørn Sand believes that “the bridge unites the past with the present, and expresses the greatest and most beautiful aspect of Renaissance art and science. It is a beautiful metaphor for the meeting between people, cultures and continents.” The same can be said of grandparenting. You are the bridge that unites the past and the present. You are the remarkable connection between the beauty of art and the mystery of science. You are the link between tradition and innovation.

While there are many bridges in the world that allow people to travel over large bodies of water, there are a few, like the da Vinci bridge, that are unique and special. There are lots of grandparents in the world too, but like the da Vinci bridge, Christian grandparenting is distinctive and extraordinary. Wouldn’t you like to see people practicing authentic Christian grandparenting on a large scale? The da Vinci bridge waited 500 years before its realization. Let’s not wait 500 years. Let’s not allow a single generation to pass without employing the principles of biblical grandparenting!

Get involved with CGN today by donating to the Christian Grandparenting Network “Pass the Torch Fund”. Your financial support will bring the Gift of Learning to children and grandparents in need of the knowledge and love of Christ Jesus by providing aid to grandparents who find they are unexpectedly raising their grandchildren, scholarships for GrandCamp, and funding for workshops and seminars that help grandparents understand their valuable role in their grandkids lives.

“Learning acquired in youth arrests the evil of old age; and if you understand that old age has wisdom for its food, you will so conduct yourself in youth that your old age will not lack for nourishment.” -Leonardo da Vinci.