Tribute

I heard today that Aunt Frieda died. So I offer a rose for a lady who will forever, in my memory, have a smile and a little chuckle on her lips as she busies herself in the kitchen of the little house in Didsbury where I knew her, and Uncle Andy, Luella, Les and Delbert. I will remember her kindness and always be grateful that for a while in my life, I had the opportunity to know her. My deepest condolences to her children and to her husband as they adjust to the newly empty place in their lives.

I think that we all go through life, wanting to make our mark, to leave behind a legacy. For some people, it is a change in world policy, to others it is a monolithic bridge, or a sculpture of unparalleled beauty. For some, it is words put down and published for the world to read long after they are gone, while for the vast majority it is a family that is strong and close and one that will have future generations to carry on the family name. We, Don and I, are close to our daughters, and our love deepens year by year. They have brought husbands into this circle and lately a little grandson and so the bounds of our love has expanded. But they are daughters so the name, from us, has ended. Only the example of love that we've shared can go on from this point. I am so glad that as I look back on our lives as a family, that we have no guilt over how we raised our children, how we loved them, guided them into adulthood....

To be remembered well by those who knew us, when we die, really is far more important than all the bridges, or all the beautiful sculptures in the world. What better legacy truly?