We who are blessed with grandchildren worry about what lies ahead for them when we are gone and they are left in charge. Plenty of clouds on the horizon feed our anxiety. Name your favorites: greed, famine, inequality, racism, cruelty, gun violence — all important. Comes now Greta Thunberg, age 16, who insists that the health of our planet is in crisis, and we need to act decisively to make it well again.

Are we too late?

Emma Gonzales, David Hogg and several other teenagers rightly captured our attention with their earnest work toward an end to gun violence after a mass shooting at their Florida school ended the lives of their classmates and teachers. They are still at it, more than a year after the shooting, and our entrenched politicians fiddle and stall. Mustn’t offend the National Rifle Association, which fattens their wallets.

Still these mature young people persist in working to create a safer life for their generation in the future and for ours right now. They’re not going to quit sounding the alarm, working for change. Are we listening?

Greta is raising her voice to warn us all of the dangers of climate change. She has captured our attention and admiration both here and around the world. No small potatoes for this petite 16-year-old. She is urgently worried about climate change and wants us to take action right now, not eventually, but now, immediately.

She’s right. What could be more important? But are we listening? Our generation needs to recharge our stewardship batteries. It’s up to us. What are we going to do about this? How?

What lies ahead for the grandchildren we love? We hold their future in our hands.