May was Older Americans Month, elders perhaps not getting so much acknowledgment as other groups or cultures. We might think of them in other terms, such as parents and grandparents or veterans, first responders or teachers. But what about those who figured as a turning point in our personal development and working life?
Have we all known, or perhaps been, young people who thought they did it all themselves and saw predecessors as stepping stones or as being in the way of their ambitions or even obstacles by occupying coveted positions?
Perhaps those in charge now might think about those retired elders, the ones who took a chance to hire you, gave you their hard-won knowledge and experience with an open hand, who risked their own status to support or even defend you, the ones who played by old-fashioned rules of deference to elders instead of pushing in line, who waited their turn, who showed some grace with silence, who taught by example, who stepped aside to make room for you, and who didn’t ask for thanks.
John Garza, McAllen
