Boy have times changed. When I was a young girl and my grandparents needed help. They always came to stay with us and we took good care of them hand and foot.

In todays world the families of the elderly act like they are just to busy to be bothered to come visit or take care of their grandparents.

One of the ways we as a family have participated in giving back to our community is in the Elderly Out Reach Program. We often visit someone who is living alone or in a nursing home who may not have many visitors.

We have found that they love to talk about children and what they used to do when they were little. We take in a plate of home baked cookies and we sit and talk for hours. Just about anything and everything.

Angela was a bit timid at first on warming up and talking to the nice elderly ladies. So she stayed right by my side and we visited together.

The more we have visited this year...it seems the more we realize how many people just put their elderly in the nursing home and go on with life and forgot they even exist.

We believe in giving back to our community and in visiting the elderly we have found a perfect place to start. It does not matter if we bring them cookies or flowers they are just happy to see us visit.

We are learning to play checkers and tic tac toe with them. Sometimes we listen to music with them.
Other times we listen to them tell us stories about things long ago.

The one thing I have noticed most is that my daughter seems more compassionate towards everyone.
For this I am very thankful. It is a lesson well learned.

Community service never has hurt anyone. It is just one more way to fill up empty summer hours and brighten the lives of some elderly people along the way.

Adopting a grandma for Angela has been a very fun undertaking. She now has more grandma's than she can handle. One smile at a time.