In re: grandparenting, I had that same issue with my in-laws while my children were growing up. Their annual Christmas newsletter regularly recounted how much time they enjoyed with their grandchildren, but unless it was a holiday or birthday, there was no regular visitation or interaction with them--and we only lived 10 minutes away from each other.
One year, I became so incensed that I called my MIL and let her know that she was losing out on valuable time and opportunities to be with her grandchildren. I reminded her that they would be getting older, and would begin to lose interest in monthly visitation if there wasn't more done by the adults to engage with the kids--and this was after I had tried repeatedly to arrange weekly get-togethers with the in-laws and the kids. My MIL was so upset by my call that she hardly spoke to me in the months afterward.
She died in February from complications from Parkinson's. My teenage kids were sad for a short time, but their grief soon passed.