My
Granny taught me so many things; how to garden, how to can fruits and
vegetables, make jellies, wilted lettuce, and cottage cheese, churn butter, and
the list goes on and on and on. I’m able to do many things most people these
days don’t even realize can be done
outside of a factory all because of Granny. But it’s not so much what she taught me as how she taught me.
Granny
was never in too much of a hurry to let me do things with her. From the time I was about 5 years old, we
worked side by side. She patiently showed me what to do and how to do it right.
I can’t count the times she’s say, “I’ll tell you like my mom always told me…if
you don’t do it right the first time, you’ll get the privilege of doing it
again.”
It
would have been so much easier (and quicker) for her to do things herself, but
she didn’t. She could have used the ‘watch me so you’ll know what to do when
you get older’ approach, but she didn’t. No, instead, Granny used the hands-on
approach to teaching me to be a woman who knew how to provide for her home and
her family.
As
mothers, grandmothers, aunts, and teachers, we need to take a lesson from
Granny. Each time we pass up the opportunity to walk a little slower to allow little
feet to keep up with us, or deny ourselves the privilege of sweeping up an
extra cup of flour off the floor after baking a batch of cookies, or opt for
flower beds with flowers perfectly color coordinated and spaced instead of one
with a more whimsical look, we have passed up a golden opportunity to make
special memories with the children we love. These moments-I call them
‘teachable moments’-are lost forever once they pass, so see them for the
treasures they are and make the most of them whenever you get the chance.
The
memories we have of the special people in our lives are the result of their ability
to see these teachable moments for what they are. In other words, these people
took the time to investment in us-in our lives. And in turn, we need to make a
similar investment into the lives of the young people we love. Think of it as
the emotional circle of life.
I
couldn’t possibly talk this emotional circle of life and investing yourself
into someone’s life without talking about Carol Bennett. She touched hundreds
of lives and invested a part of herself in each and every one of them…
Carol
Bennett was my daughter, Elizabeth’s, kindergarten teacher. She had been
teaching for many years when Elizabeth had her and was nearing the end of her
career. But Carol was a good teacher and it was obvious she truly cared about
her students. But never in a million years would I have imagined she would
continue to care so many years later.
Fast
forward from kindergarten to Elizabeth’s senior year in high school; graduation
was approaching and Elizabeth was receiving gifts and cards from family and
friends. One evening as she was opening up the mail she had received, I heard
her say, “Oh, isn’t that so sweet!” I was just about to ask her what she
thought was ‘so sweet’, when she sat a card and picture down in my lap. The
card was from her kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Bennett. It read, “I’m proud to
have been a part of your education. Good luck in the future.” The picture was
one Elizabeth had drawn in kindergarten!
Each
year Carol Bennett kept one picture from each of her students. And 13 years
later she took the time to send it-along with a card of congratulations to each
student who was still in the area. Carol
had retired two or three years after Elizabeth had been in her class, so the
fact that she wasn’t even involved in the school system anymore and had a
plethora of other things she could have been doing with her time, made it even
more special. I know I don’t need to tell you this, but Carol Bennett is
someone who cares!
Remember…at
the heart of some of our most treasured memories is the fact that someone like
Granny or Carol let us know how much we meant to them. Whose memories are you
helping to make?
Love,
Momma D
