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JOSEPH C. PHILLIPS: Nana and Papa
*When I think of heroes, I am reminded of something Ronald Reagan said in his 1981 inaugural address. Responding to what he believed was a strain of cynicism running through society, Reagan said: “those who say that we are in a time when there are no heroes just don’t know where to look. You can see heroes everyday going in and out of our factory gates. You meet heroes across the counter, and they are on both sides of that counter….they’re individuals and families whose voluntary gifts support church, charity, culture, art and education. Their patriotism is quiet, but deep, their values sustain our national life.”
I also think of Nana and Papa.
A few years back, Nana read a story in her local newspaper about an elderly woman trying to raise her four grand daughters, two of whom suffered from mental retardation, on her fixed income. The story touched Nana so she tracked the grandmother down and offered to take the girls off her hands one day a month so that the grandmother could have a few hours to herself.
Two years ago, the youngest of the four sisters was sent into foster care. This girl does not suffer from mental retardation but is struggling with many other challenges – bi-polar and ADHD to name a few. Her older sisters are now out on their own or in helpful living facilities. This youngest daughter currently spends three nights a week at Nana and Papa’s home. She now has something she has not had much of during her life: In Nana, she has the authority of the mother who did not raise her. In Papa, she has the guidance of the father she does not know. Nana and Papa don’t sugar coat life for her nor do they write checks. They give her something far more useful: they demand homework be finished, they give hugs when she accomplishes a task and they offer an ear when she is curious or trying to iron out the wrinkles of adolescence. They are demanding but all they ask is that she follows the rules and tries her best, something that is not always easy for teenage girls to do in the best of circumstances.
It seems to be paying dividends. Her grades are much improved. She is no scholar – not yet anyway – but where two years ago she was literally flunking out of school, she now brings home mostly B’s and C’s. Her hygiene has improved. She bathes more frequently, cleans her clothes, and brushes her hair and teeth. Most significant is that she is happier. The depression that was so much a part of her life two years ago has diminished.
Life is not perfect. There are still challenges and struggles on the road ahead. She continues to spend most of her time in an environment where young girls have sex on the front lawn and steal just for fun. She is entering high school this year and you know the devil is just waiting to lead her astray. But now she is armed and getting stronger. She has a shot. The consistency and love of family has given her hope.
Papa and Nana are the kind of heroes Reagan was referring to. They are not special. They don’t have mountains of money and they are not driven by any particular political agenda. They are just regular folk that tossed a life-line to someone in distress because it was the right thing to do.
Look around and you will see others out there, like Nana and Papa. Heroes! Folks that open their hearts and roll up their sleeves. They are simple people, good natured and fun-loving, and as Reagan so eloquently put it, their patriotism is quiet and the values they hold are the strength of America.
Joseph C. Phillips is the author of “He Talk Like A White Boy” available wherever books are sold.
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