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We've been running photos of the candidates, and all are winners in my
book. Just having the courage to get up on that stage is more than most
adults can manage. Some of them do an outstanding job of performing and
could go on to make a career of it. In fact, past Golden Girls have
advanced to larger pageants, and at least one sang professionally.
This year, one of the Golden Girl candidates is a former Little Miss
Cantaloupe. And others probably competed in that pageant back when they
were tadpoles. The experience is good for them, both for future
competition and just life in general. Competition is part of everyday
life, so learning how to handle it while young is a plus for us all.
I recall such events as highlights in my mundane life as a country
bumpkin, starting with first grade. Getting dressed up in a crepe paper
dress for the Maypole dance, portraying Mary in the Christmas pageant,
performing in the rhythm band - all heady experiences.
If we had stayed in that one-room school at Spring Grove a few more
years it could have helped me develop some self-confidence. But after we
moved back to West Texas where each teacher only taught two grades, I
became a fly on the wall, watching but not participating.
Oh, we did have spelling bees and math competition, which required some
on-stage performance. And I was crowned queen of the Halloween carnival
once. Mama urged me to compete in "declamation," but I couldn't see
myself getting up in front of an audience - or judges - and making a
speech.
Maybe that's why I became a writer. It is so much easier to put words
on paper, or in this case the computer screen, where mistakes are
correctable and I can change a sentence to make it more easily
understood.
The downside to that is that the written word may be around for
centuries, whereas the spoken word falls to the ground and is soon
forgotten.
Some Golden Girl candidates have used writing for their talent and did
a good job with it. I'd like to see more of that. We need to encourage
our young people to develop all their talents so they can compete in any
arena.
Good luck to all the candidates!
"May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon
us." Psalm 67:1, NIV
Editor's Note: Peggy McCracken is an Enterprise writer and website manager whose column appears each Tuesday.
Pecos Enterprise
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