"I would like to say some words" my Daughter said.
She's 4 1/2 and she has just requested to speak at a funeral.
The cemetery was right where you expect it to be in these parts. We are surrounded on all sides by wheat fields. It is not particularly ornate or landscaped. Most of the headstones are of the embedded, flush with the ground variety. Many go way back and are so worn down that beyond "body here", they are hard to decipher.
In one corner sits an oddly oriented wood bench, surrounded by wooden foundation as if some structure once enclosed it. It doesn't appear to be exceptionally fit for it's purpose anymore. It also doesn't seem like it would afford an especially good view of the fields or the cemetery.
The wheat was about 3 feet tall given us all the impression of being below the earth.
Aligned in an unbroken row, Q's ancestors from her Mother's side are rested here. We are at the end of the line, congregated around the latest addition, a headstone marking Q's Great Grandmother. She passed away a few years ago.
Q didn't know her Great Grandmother. But she certainly knows of her. She was a Great woman who loved to tell stories and had a knack for adventure and a flair for drama. She was not a timid nor a frail woman. Traits unmistakably familiar to my Daughter.
So what do you do when your 4 year old asks to "say some words" at a funeral?
You say, "of course".
When the last assigned speaker had finished, Q raised her hand.
"I would like to say some words" she said, and before anybody had a chance to say anything else, she strode right up to the headstone and pondered the inscriptions on it with her fingers. She doesn't read yet. The pause was intentional, the timing impeccable.
"I'll always remember these words" she began, motioning to the stone,
"I'll always remember these days" she said looking to the fields,
"I'll always remember my Great Grandmother" she said looking back to us.
I enjoy speaking. I enjoy public speaking. "Speaking" is just a fancy word for "talking". I enjoy leading. Daily, in my job and as President of a Toastmasters club, I am tasked with creating better leaders and better speakers.
I lead by example and with confidence. When your confidence grows you inspire others. If you do it right, it rubs off on those around you. They become empowered, emboldened and soon begin to speak out, and up.
Inspire those around you to do the same.