Granny Junie’s always there for the children

Sunbeams dancing, skies of blue,

The scent of new mown hay, The soothing babbling of a brook,

Endearing wildlife at play; Green shady trees, bright butterflies, Swallows wheeling and darting on high, Snatches of summer to store away,

And replay when winter is nigh.

I was surprised to hear a boy refer to my friend as granny Junie.

He looked about 15 and June’s grandchildren are all much younger.

She reminded me of the home for “troubled teens” that opened near her house a while back.

She started leaving gifts there at Christmas, she got talking to the staff and got to know a lot of the youngsters. Relationships grew. Some were difficult, some were wonderful.

“But why have them call you granny?” I asked.

“Ohhh,” she replied, “because keeping children right and telling them when they are wrong, that’s a parent’s job or maybe a care-worker’s or maybe the police’s. “Being there for them whether they are right or wrong, that’s a granny’s job.

“And if I can be that for my own, I can be that for others.”

All I can say is, God bless grannies!

JACKIE’S husband just passed his 1000 days sober landmark.

On the day she messaged a friend she had never met. Paul lives an ocean away and they “met” through a shared online interest. In the dark years of her husband’s drinking Paul was the one she could talk to and cry with. Being so far away he couldn’t take sides, but he could offer a listening ear and sometimes a different point of view.

There were several times where those talks were what she did instead of walking out the door. Life is so much better now and she wanted Paul to share in the celebration he helped bring about. Sometimes a little distance makes a big difference. That, and a sympathetic, non-judgemental ear!

JOSH is a nine-yearold lad who needs a lot of attention. He was excited to tell me he was going into Ms Craig’s class after the holidays.

He had heard that she was the best teacher in the whole school.

I also know Ms Craig and when I told her what he’d said, she beamed: “I’m really excited to have Josh in my class too!”

I never asked if she actually knew him.

Perhaps she had and thought she could do good work with him, and that’s to be commended, or perhaps she was simply doing what makes a teacher one worth looking forward to having – making sure every child felt wanted and special.