One of the hardest yet rewarding things to do in life is to raise children.
Every parent, at one time or another, experiences self-doubt - a lifelong characteristic of being a parent. But there are times when you feel being a parent is what you do best.
There's not a better feeling in the world than being proud of your child or grandchild, no matter the achievement. But when the pride is a result of your child/grandchild showing exceptional kindness to others, it goes beyond pride. There's a ton of thankfulness involved as well.
Karen Nazor HillSuch was the case recently in my family involving my 11-year-old granddaughter, Tilleigh.
She was one of the lead characters in a musical play in our community theater. Tilleigh has been performing with Skwalking Heads Productions, under the direction of Colleen Laliberte, since she was 5.
It was opening night for "Have a Heart, Be a Star" at Bachman Community Center on Signal Mountain, and our family was seated on the first row. (If you've never been to an all-children's cast production, you have missed out. It's always entertaining and downright precious.) The play, featuring children ages 5-12, is about children struggling to accept "differences" in other children but learning to replace the fear of differences with the joy of friendships. The children learn to accept and appreciate diversity.
Tilleigh exemplified the lesson when she did something that was not scripted.
One of the youngest members of the cast, an adorable, vivacious 5-year-old girl, lost her place onstage, causing her confusion and fear. She ran offstage to seek the comfort of what I'm assuming was a parent. I overheard the parent trying to coax the crying child back onstage where the cast was still performing.
In a matter of minutes, the little girl, still crying, approached the stage where Tilleigh, having left her spot in front of a microphone, welcomed the little girl with open arms. Tilleigh got on her knees and embraced the child, who lovingly returned the embrace - while the other children continued to perform. The embrace lasted for what seemed like minutes.
Tilleigh stood up, still holding the little girl's hand, and they resumed their roles. Though the little girl continued to wipe tears from her eyes, she was smiling from ear to ear.
As for me? Oh, boy. The tears were streaming down my face. My husband couldn't even talk. Tilleigh's heartfelt compassion illustrated the play's meaning - she had a heart and became a star.
Tilleigh's act of kindness spread from the stage to the audience. People were touched by my granddaughter's tender heart.
In a world today where compassion seems to have taken a backseat to greed, my little granddaughter showed an auditorium filled with people that kindness is just a heartbeat away. It's truly not hard to be nice.
Contact Karen Nazor Hill at khill@timesfreepress.com.