As I have shared with you, my sweet granddaughter asked if I would teach her how to sew! It was music to my ears. We have begun our sewing journey. Her machine is small and she loves it—Sophia2 by Baby Lock. When she isn’t sewing, it is perfect for me to take when I am traveling. Everyone in my office thinks it’s hilarious that I travel with a sewing machine, but when Neal is in a conference and I get to tag along, I love to spend part of my day sewing. OK, back on track.
I learned to sew, cook, garden and do most things from my mom or one of my grandmothers. It occurred to me that nothing has really changed. With all of our technology, there is nothing that replaces a caring, loving person teaching something to another.
When my boys were young, they loved to cook with me, which mainly meant licking the icing beaters. But they were in the kitchen learning….today they are both marvelous cooks. Brian bakes and Eric likes to grill. They have taken the basics and have continued to learn and try new techniques and recipes.
As the grandchildren came along, I love including them in the kitchen. We have created some wonderful memories mixing and backing together. When my grandson was very young, he loved to make biscuits. In fact, it became a ritual! When I was in the kitchen, he would pull his stool up and get ready for his part. Today, cookie dough is his passion. I realized that he is just like his dad. He really is learning to cook…he is there to eat the batter or icing!
My granddaughter likes to add every ingredient, stir every stroke and try to get the batter in the pan all on her own. She is so determined, and I love that about her.
Are we teaching as we should? As we get older and we feel that our time has passed for teaching, we forget that our knowledge should be passed along. It’s the tips and tidbits of knowledge that make things interesting. We should be creating opportunities to teach. I’m sure many of you are thinking “I don’t have anyone to teach!” Let me share a story.
When I was a teenager we went on a choir tour, which meant we stayed in homes of church members in the cities where we traveled. It was my great fortune to stay in the home of a very elderly woman who was a quilter. She had one pattern that she made that I was intrigued with—Cathedral Window. I admired her work and couldn’t keep from asking a zillion questions about how she made that quilt. She went to her little box of fabric, brought out fabric and proceeded to cut squares. She showed me how she made the quilt, sent me home with that sample, and encouraged me to get started in making a quilt.
I still have that sample block. I keep it with my quilting materials and think of her every time I look at it. You never know who in your circle of influence would love to learn from you. Whether your passion is sewing, gardening, cooking, or collecting, take time to share your interests with someone. Young people are looking for someone to teach them.
Have you passed on a special skill?
