Wisdom At Any Age

Help! I can’t do this! My friend Annie needed extra hands last weekend. She had volunteered to teach a knitting class at the school where she works. She thought maybe 6 folks would show up. 13 signed up! I was happy to join them for the morning. I love sharing knit knowledge with anyone.

Annie works at an elementary school. She runs an after school program teaching the kids to knit. They make cat sized mats to donate to the humane society. The kitties get a cozy blanket they can cuddle on in their pen and take to a new home when adopted. It’s the perfect project for little girls. They each get a specific cat to knit for and even visit them at the humane society.

The girls were so excited all year about knitting. They asked Annie if she could teach their moms too. They wanted to be able to knit at home not just at school. The idea was born to have a Saturday class so the moms could join the fun.

Saturday morning we set out bright colored worsted weight yarn and size 10 knitting needles. All the moms and daughters arrived and sat around big tables. Knitting is a very hands-on skill to learn. Individual attention helps get the beginner over the learning curve. But with only 2 teachers and 13 students it would be difficult to get around to everyone quickly.

Annie had a secret weapon. Six-year-old Rosie was already a knitting pro. She was very excited about showing her mom how to knit but a little nervous. Annie assured her, “You know how to knit so well, you can show your mom how to do it. And if you get stuck I’ll be right here to help out.”

Annie and I circulated the room and got others started. The two hours flew by. There was much giggling. A few calls of distress when the yarn got tangled or a new knitter lost her way but everyone picked up the skill. A couple moms were surprised they remembered how to knit. And a few more were surprised by how easy it was to learn.

But the biggest smile of the day was on Wendy, Rosie’s mom. While the little girls went out to play on the jungle gym Wendy came over to say good-bye to Annie and me. “I want to thank you for this morning. Rosie is only 6 and this is the first time she’s been able to teach me something. I will remember this day forever. It was a beautiful gift. Thank you so much.”

I was touched by Wendy’s words. She is a mom who will learn a lot from her daughter over their lives together. For Wendy is open to what Rosie has to offer, even at age 6.

Whatever age you are there are wonderful things you can offer those around you. A baby in a crib smiles up at the world and it is the sweetest offering to a new mom. A teen has a perspective a mother may have lost. An older gal may feel all used up, but there are things she knows that no one else may remember. You see things the way no other person on earth does. From tiny details to big life lessons we all have much to learn from each other. So if you are feeling like you have nothing to offer because of your age, fear not, there is someone who needs the very thing you know. Share it with a smile today.