Remember Me!

Pretty much everyone I know had influential figures in their lives who they will never forget. My gifted teacher, Ms. Barbara Calvert Respess was amazing. Every day for five years she had us write in journals. We turned them in on Fridays and she brought them back on Mondays full of thoughtful comments. We wrote daily W.O.O.P.E.S., well organized one-page essays. She was low carb before I knew what a carb was. She set us on a massive project to learn about every aspect of the Atlanta community. My area was churches. I had to research them and plan field trips to visit them. She’s easy to remember because of all of the A’s I got on research papers in undergrad, high marks I got in my law school research, writing, and advocacy class, and success as a summer associate in a major law firm. Equally memorable is my 102 year old grandmother-in-law, Valena Henderson. She taught me about community service, generosity on a whole different level, and love of clothes, shoes, and accessories. Ask somebody, they will tell you that I have an issue. We still talk politics. She is still sharp, and still fierce. I repeated their lessons with my children, and have served many children who are not mine. The great thing is that memories go both ways. The children do not want to be forgotten either. They want to know that they matter. They are excited about meeting us and learning about what we do and how we got here. And, just like we are repaying those who blessed us, we are planting the seeds for them to be a blessing to others. This is our choice. This is our passion. This is life itself!