Speaking to Grands 

I hope your Mother’s Day weekend was as good as ours. As per our tradition for the last few years, we gathered as a family and the men were responsible from beginning to end for planning, preparing, serving and cleaning up after our Sunday Mother’s Day meal after church. I’d like to tell you about it, but with a twist at the end. Here we go…

My son, David, and I did most of the coordination (90% him, 10% me) to meet at his house and prepare a couple of crock pots full of chuck roasts with vegetables, potatoes, etc., instead of our traditional grilled meals.  We started with appetizers, then a salad to go with the crock pot main course and finished with a couple of purchased pies for dessert. 

It was delicious and appreciated by our wives, the Mothers of the day, especially as we cleaned the tables and dishes. At the same time, they enjoyed laughter and delightful conversation around the table during and after dessert.

It was especially nice for my wife, who celebrated the day with her four sons; only our daughter from Connecticut was missing.

But the whole time we were preparing, enjoying and cleaning up from this meal, I was chafing to have a one-on-one conversation with David’s middle daughter, my granddaughter, Reagan. I had been thinking about it for several hours Saturday night, to the point where I had difficulty getting to sleep. So, while we were cleaning the dishes, I asked her dad if I could have his permission to talk to her one-on-one, and he granted me that privilege.

So he called her down from her room, and we went into his study for some privacy to talk. By this time, I expect you want to know why I wanted to talk to her and what about, right?

It was because on Thursday night, she was honored by being chosen “Miss Perry High” in her school’s pageant. It was a very special honor since she was selected as a freshman among a dozen contestants, including members of all four years of high school. Amazing!

It was amazing, but I felt compelled to speak to her about several things. Would you like to know what they were? Even though it was a private conversation, I asked her permission to share it with you, and she graciously consented. So, here’s what I told her:

Congratulations! I wanted her to hear a personal, heartfelt word of congratulations directly from me. And I told her she “earned” it because even though she truly is a beautiful young woman, her poise and grace won the day. And, on top of that, she was awarded an additional prize for winning the private interview sessions with the judges.

Be Thankful, not Prideful! After all, I said your beauty and intellect are gifts from God; you didn’t earn them, they are gifts, so you should be thankful, not prideful. Further, you are responsible for being a steward of those gifts going forward.

Be Godly! Remember to put God first in every aspect of your life, especially when it comes to your relationship with the special young man she admires, who is a gifted quarterback on his football team. 

Be Humble! I told her there’s nothing worse than a person who wins an award like that, lets it go to their head, and makes it “all about them”.

Think Big about the future! I reminded her that now that she has won that honor as a freshman, she can’t compete in that pageant for the next three years. So I asked her What are you going to do next? Then I told her to pray about it, and if she had peace, to consider competing in the Miss Georgia pageant when the time is right.

And you know what the best part of this conversation was? She listened intently and politely and understood exactly what I was saying without giving me an ounce of pushback, especially on the humility part. The conversation only lasted 15-20 minutes, but I believe she’ll remember it for a lifetime… wouldn’t you if your grandfather made it a point to speak those words into your life when you were in 9th grade? I know I would!

And that’s my point to each of you who has grandchildren. We have an incredible opportunity to shape their lives for the good in the midst of this troubled world. It’s not just an opportunity… it’s an obligation. So, step up to the plate and whisper something positive and encouraging into their ears; they’re hungry to hear it… especially from you!

Thanks for reading All About Seniors… see you next week!

PS… If you’d like to see pictures of Reagan in her evening dress wearing her crown and then working on our race car engine the next day, go to the Facebook page below; this girl is well-rounded, too!

Bill Milby is a Director of Visiting Angels® of Central Georgia, a non-medical, living assistance service for seniors. If you have questions or comments about this column, you can reach him at william.mercylink@gmail.com or search for us at  facebook.com/VisitingAngelsofCentralGA