Tuesday, Feb 26th - Hero: Snoopy

Yep, Snoopy. Well, actually Charles Schultz.

My sister-in-law, Tracy, forwarded an email that had a great message in it. Essentially it was a reminder that none of us really care who the winners of races, Nobel prizes, beauty pageants, etc, are. Try naming the last 5 Miss Americas, or the last few winners of Best Actor.

But, the message went on. Name the last 5 people who made you feel appreciated. Your 3 favorite teachers from your childhood.

That really says it all, doesn't it? The best we can strive for in our lives is to make a difference, a real impression, in the lives of those we love. You want immortality? Be important in the life of a child. Make yourself unforgettable to your kids and grandkids, neices and nephews.

I think about this alot. And, considering all the driving time I have had over the last couple of weeks, there has been lots of time to think. Please forgive me for getting philosophical.

I think back to my childhood and the adults that had tremendous amounts of influence on my life and try to take lessons from each of them. Hands down, my favorite person in the world was my maternal grandmother, Pearl Mildred Smith. She is a beautiful woman. Not just physically, but spiritually and mentally as well. Some of my earliest memories are of laying in her lap and touching her face and having her smooth my hair. I felt so safe and so loved that the mere memory brings tears to my eyes. I also remember that she was genuinely happy to spend time with us kids. She had a great imagination and never seemed to tire of our questions and demands of her attention. That stuff is huge to a child!

She also had an unwavering faith in God that was contagious. She made going to church a part of our life. She never let us get away with excuses not to go. Thinking back on it, Grammy worked all week long at the Daisy gun factory, kept a clean house, cooked supper for Poppy every night, and on most Saturday's watched us grandkids. She got out of bed early on Sunday to get lunch for that day started, then got ready and went to church. She taught Sunday School as well. Then home from church to feed anyone that showed up for dinner, clean up, and back to church that night.

My God. How can any of us look ourselves in the mirror and say we don't have time to get it all done?

My fervent prayer is that I can be half the woman she is. I have tried in the past few years to set time aside to just listen to my kids (daughters and nieces). I love each of them with a passion that I can't describe or hope to express eloquently. They are the hope of the future.

I hope that someday my daughters, nieces, or grandkids can look back and say that I left even a sliver of this impression on them.

Peace, Love, and GOD,
Tracy