Thursday, January 24, 2013

Circle of Influence

"Could you give me a ride to church?" an elderly member of our congregation called to ask.  Of course!  She didn't like to drive at night and we were happy to pick her up for the midweek service.  We made small talk on the way, and she told me she had talked to the couple who usually takes her to church who is away in Wyoming.  They had gone there to be with the wife's mother, who was having surgery.

"I wonder why she doesn't live here near her daughter?" I asked, to which our passenger said, "Well, she has a son out there. And she works, too." 

"You mean she has a job?" I exclaimed.   "How old is she?" 

"She's about my age," she answered.  Well, our friend is only 84!  I asked what kind of job, and she replied that she worked for the school system.  "She is a "grandma," she explained.  I asked if that was like an assistant teacher, but she said, no, she was  there only for the children.

I thought perhaps it was a volunteer position, but my knowledgeable source said it was a program that involved having a grandma for each room.  "They pick them up and bring them home, and they get paid, too!"  From what she said, the grandmas are there just as a comforting, calming presence for the kids, evidently giving reassuring hugs, a welcoming lap or just a listening ear. 

What a great idea!  Helping a senior citizen feel useful and filling a need in the lives of children whose parents are often overworked and over stressed in today's world!  I love it!  Kids need Grandmas!  I keep two of our grandchildren after school for a couple of hours three days a week.  If we have to do a short errand on the way home, they protest, "No!  We wanna go to your house!"  Our son told me they said, "We love it over there!"

Other than making them a snack and letting them watch TV, or on nice days watching them when they play outside, I don't do much except go about my routine.  But they are content and happy!  Most of my children and grandchildren live far away, so my husband's and my  "grandparenting" is mostly long distance.  It is nice to be reminded once in a while that our influence is still felt and appreciated, though, as in a phone call I got this week.

"Mom," my daughter said, "I find  myself speaking your wisdom all the time!"  What?  She said, "At work, I hear myself say something, and I think, That sounds like Mom."  She went on to say she shared with her co-workers that her parents weren't real strict, but saw to it that the kids  had a good moral and spiritual foundation, and that that is the way she raises her children.  "I remember you saying, 'Pick your battles,'" she said.(I laughed, not remembering saying that, but  interpreting it to mean, "Don't sweat the small stuff.")

The next day a granddaughter called, wanting to talk to Pa-Pa.  She loves to discuss spiritual things with him.  At the end of the conversation, I shared a bit of my experience with her, and the following day she phoned to say how that had helped her.

At our Bible study the other night, we read the scripture in John 6:28 when the people asked how they could do the works of God.  Jesus replied, "This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom who he hath sent."  Simple and brief, but it encompasses everything.  Kind of like influencing children and grandchildren.

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