For the past several years, we have been coming to Arizona to escape the cold winters of Montana. The one drawback in this arrangement has been the absence of our grandchildren, who bring so much happiness to our lives.
We have solved this problem during the past three years by asking our bishop to select a single mother with young children for us to "adopt" while we are here for the winter. Health problems have prevented us from accepting a mission call, so this was our desire to do something worthwhile and to feel needed. This has certainly filled those needs. The warmth and love extended by these families to us has far surpassed anything we could have imagined.It has proven so successful we would recommend it to others. We have experienced many happy hours with our new "grandchildren" playing games, taking trips to the zoo, going to a wildlife museum, attending movies together and having pizza parties or buckets of chicken at their home. We sometimes share family home evening with them as well.
We also keep track of birthdays and look forward to the Christmas holidays and the joy children can bring at that time of year.
The number of single-parent families really surprised us when we were introduced to the singles program. We realized how much they could use the support of others who had the time.
This association with these families has been so beneficial to us in finding something worthwhile to keep us occupied while we are here. It has made such a difference in our lives! We would hope that other seniors (we are in our 70s) would take advantage of this wonderful opportunity both to create and enjoy this profound experience.
Our lives have been enriched by these children from the love that radiates toward two "grandparents" who now have a new lease on life. The love of children is the greatest gift in the world that we could possibly receive. What a joy it is to serve others, especially these special children. Their smiles are the best medicine we could ever find in the world. We feel it is a privilege to spend time with these children. We are truly blessed. - George and Karma Lacey, Binghampton Ward, Tucson Arizona Stake.
