I learned to dance standing on my grandfather’s feet.
He was like Fred Astaire, handsome and talented. Grandaddy was even a member of a dance club. He was suave and debonair. I never heard Grandaddy use profanity or say an unkind word. Everyone called him “Pop.”
I modeled much of my life after him and other family members whom I admired. I was the last grandchild. All the attention had been doted on everyone who came before me, but somehow Grandaddy still had time for me. Dance recitals were a big part of my childhood. I heard how boring they were to watch, but Grandaddy always came and always complimented me.
As a Nana now, I want to be that same cheerleader for my seven grandsons. I praise their efforts, no matter how small. As grandparents, we take them to church events and spend more time than money on them. As a historic docent, I dress them up and teach them living history.
I had an aunt who took me on historically themed trips. She had little money, so we ate picnics in hotels and visited free sites. After I grew up, I discovered a person could buy a ticket and go inside the houses at Williamsburg. I watched the marching troops and ate the warm cookies baked in a brick oven. We visited churches with frescoes and museums with no admission price.
We often forget that neighbor children, students, and family members need a hero. Our museum invites people to provide history camp scholarships. I encourage adults in our community to sponsor a child at church or school. One of my friends gave my students new school supplies every Christmas, long after theirs were well worn.
Everybody needs someone who treats them special. A young family member or friend might benefit from our next trip. We can ask someone to attend a special event at our church. Someone might not attend a service but might join us for an outdoor concert or covered dish dinner. We may know a family we could bless with a meal.
Think of someone to whom you might give a meal, a gift card, or a night of babysitting. Bless a child…or an entire family.
(Photo courtesy of pixabay.)
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Theresa Parker Pierce lives in historic Salisbury, North Carolina, where she enjoys spending time with family and friends. She has thirty-five years of experience in teaching reading and history. Theresa has a master’s degree in education and is National Board certified. As a two-time Rowan Salisbury Teacher of the Year, Theresa enjoys storytelling about her childhood in eastern North Carolina and giving tours in Rowan County. Her manuscript, Up Dunn's Mountain, won first place for Young Adult Literature at Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference. She is a member of Word Weavers International. A historic docent, Theresa shares her volunteer time between the North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer and the Rowan Museum in Salisbury. With a closet full of costumes, Theresa dresses in period attire and is a toastmaster who speaks to historic groups, senior citizens, and her favorite children.