Thank You

Last week we attended a family dinner for Cameron's grandpa's 90th birthday. It would be hard to describe in a blog post how much Grandpa has meant to me through the years. He lost his eyesight to macular degeneration almost 20 years ago, but he still plays the organ, performs regularly for Toastmasters, works at the temple, and gets around just fine with his seeing-eye dog, Hudson. When I lost my eye I looked to him more than once for perspective and encouragement as I grieved my own loss of sight and found peace in my new normal. He still inspires me to believe that if I one day have less sight than I do now, life will still be OK.

Grandpa, Grandma, and Hudson

After his birthday dinner everyone sat around the table asking him to retell favorite stories from his life. This time I found the most comfort from the time when he was six years old, got in a neighborhood fight, knocked a kid unconscious with a 2x4, and ended up in juvenile court. Ahh, I thought, if someone as wonderful as Grandpa had such a rough start, there's hope even for my kids (who thankfully haven't knocked anyone unconscious or gone to juvenile court).

Then I thought about how much everyone in our family adores Grandpa and loves his stories and needs to  hear about his life and be uplifted by his example. I thought about how much we all need each other in life--the stories, encouragement, and experiences people share can lift us and lighten our paths. We need each other.

And then I thought about how much I have needed and appreciated through the years the readers of this blog. Each one of your lives has touched mine in some way, and I am grateful for the richness of people's experiences and examples that I can learn from. Thank you.