How true is that?!! (image cred: The American Widow Project)
One of the coolest ways my family honors the people we’ve lost is by sharing stories about them. Year after year, holiday after holiday~ we talk, laugh, reflect and celebrate the goodness of people like my dad… John Glenn.
People would sometimes mistake our John Glenn, for the other one (the astronaut!) Dad was always happy to play along, especially if his famous name could help free up a table at a crowded restaurant!
Dad’s had a heart the size of Texas! I’ll never forget the day he, in the car along with my mom, 5 hooligan kids and a crazy French poodle, stopped to pick up a hitch hiker. When we asked why he would pick up a stranger, he explained that when he served in the Army, on his way home for Christmas… that hitch hiker was him. He never wanted to leave someone alone, without a ride or a warm meal.
Wonderful Wednesdays. Dad wasn’t much of a rule follower. That’s why the five kids loved it when, instead of going to school we’d pack the station wagon with hats, gloves and peanut butter sandwiches- and head up to Sapphire Valley, NC for day of snow skiing. School was apparently for days when there was no place cooler to go.
Dad somehow survived putting 5 teenagers in braces, swim team, ski school and most of us through college- with a smile on his face. He didn’t even kill me when I accidentally put bubbles in his tobacco pipe. Oops.
Reflecting on the real John Glenn’s kind, generous and fun life brings a lot of gratefulness to my heart!
How About You?!
If you’re missing someone right now, one of the best ways to keep their light shining brightly is to share stories.
I want to invite you to share your sweet memories and photos here on the Grief Survivor Facebook Page. Feel free to invite others to join us there, too.
“There are some who bring a light so great to the world, that even after they have gone, the light remains.”