People Leave Footprints.....

Almost two months ago, I was asked to write an article about the impact of an amazing lady on our community.  While I am relatively new to our small town (we've only been here a little less than three years - you have to have been born here or live here for more than thirty years to not be considered "new"), my life and the lives of my family, particularly my daughter, were greatly influenced by this remarkable woman named Stephanie. To write an article about her was daunting, and as a brand new journalist and someone who was emotionally connected with her story, it was completely terrifying. 

You see, Stephanie was practically perfect in every way.  She was beautiful, active, in great shape, the mother of 4 with one on the way. She could play the piano, ski, make homemade food and play with her kids outside while still looking completely gorgeous.  She held leadership positions in the church, volunteered hours upon hours to various community services, grew a garden, bottled her own food, took care of the neighbors, was the oldest of 13 kids and happily chauffeured her children to all of their many activities. If you were talking to her, you were the most important person in her world at that minute.  Not only did she act like an angel, she looked like one, flowing blond hair, bright blue eyes and all. 

Well. the Sunday before Christmas, Stephanie went into labor with her 5th child.  As her husband rushed her to a birthing center, she started having trouble breathing.  He called the ambulance who met them en route to the nearest hospital.  She was unconscious when they got her into the hospital.  Shortly after they arrived at the hospital, the doctors encouraged Stephanie to push and somehow, even though she was not conscious, her body obeyed the doctors.  Little Sadie took her first breath just seconds before her sweet mama took her last. 

To say that our little town was heartbroken would be an understatement. Even after her funeral was over, many people couldn't even say her name without tearing up.  Even to this day, I can't bring myself to erase her name off of my cell phone. 

Just when it seemed that everyone had started to heal, it came to the attention of the paper that a couple of entities in the community were doing things to honor Steph's memory and asked me to write the story. 

I can pound out a five page essay for college in an hour.  I can write a research paper in a day. But this article took me over a week.  I interviewed people, I emailed people, I Facebooked people.  I got to know her in a different way. And I realized that many times, the things that we do that we think are so little aren't really little at all, The kind words that we speak sink deep into the hearts of those that we speak them too. The simple acts of service are sometimes a lifeline for the people that we serve. 

And nothing, absolutely nothing, is too small if it is done in kindness. 

Stephanie's kindness and love lives on, not just in the eyes of her husband and children, or in her spirit that seems to hover over our little town, or in the lives that she personally touched.  There is now a scholarship established in her name at the gym where her children took gymnastics.  In a community garden there is a garden box that bears her name that is tended with love - and all produce grown there is donated to the community food pantry where she volunteered each week. 

For me personally, her spirit lives on in my daughter.  She has always been quiet and shy, afraid to try anything new or let anyone in.  Stephanie broke through her walls, hugged her until she hugged back and then taught her to spread her beautiful wings and fly.