With life comes death. It's a natural part of living, yet why does it impact us so deeply? That question has been debated for centuries by the greatest thinkers and yet no definitive answer has ever been given. I don't want to start off the month of love depressing, but my local RWA chapter recently lost two people very close to our members, Connie Brockheart and Jeff Jacobs. My way to honor such joyful caring people is to dedicate this post to them.
Though my interactions with them was limited, just knowing them made my life different. Connie always had a smile, despite any pain she was feeling from polio. I later learned she was the oldest person still living that had polio. What a record, right? She always had a kind word for everyone. Connie's manuscript was the first manuscript I had seen unpublished, besides my own. Being a visual person I absorbed everything I read as I reentered it into the computer for her. It was fascinating and encouraging. It took me two weeks to get the full ms transcribed for her and she was thrilled when I handed her the flash drive.
My encounters with Jeff left me light hearted and full of laughter at his smart-alec comments and glad to have known him. He drove me up to Emerald City with a couple of friends for two years in a row and was a delight. I know his wife will miss him terribly. He adored her and encouraged her to live her dreams. What more could someone want?
It's amazing how people come into our lives and leave so expectantly. And the amount of impact they leave. I hope that when I do leave this plane of existence I will have left such an impression as these two wonderful loving people have.
Who in your life has left an impression on you? What were those impressions?
3 comments:
I only met Connie a couple of times but remember her well because of the qualities you mentioned. I never met Jeff but heard Delle speak about him and you could see they were indeed kindred spirits.
The only profound loss I've suffered was my mother. She was a nurse who everyone loved.Her time on this earth was way too short.She missed out on seeing her grandchildren grow and meeting great grandchildren. She taught me kindness and giving.She would wear the most tattered clothes other than her nurses uniforms so we kids could have new clothes. She told me once she wept because the only thing she could give me for my birthday was a nightgown made from one of her old ones. She felt horrible that that was all she could do and I danced around with the garment like she'd given me a fancy ball gown.
Great tribute,Mae.
Thanks for sharing your experiences of two special people, Mae. This month is about love stories and as you've demonstrated, they come many forms.
Certainly my parents made the earliest impression with their unconditional love for each of their 9 children. It is from them that I have always believed I could do anything and be anyone I wanted.
I've had two siblings and a cousin who died before reaching adulthood. As I am older, most of my relatives from grandparents to aunts and uncles have passed now, as well as many friends. Each one had an impact. News of a death always focuses my attention on that person's life and causes to pause and be thankful for being a part of it.
It seems that everyone I spend any time with makes an impression on me, for good or ill. This is why I try to be present with each person I meet and to learn from them while they are still here to teach and be an example. I never know what potential an encounter may bring to my life. Sometimes the briefest of meetings stick with me forever, and other longer-term relationships slowly slip from memory. I simply try to embrace them all and give thanks that I am still alive to learn.
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