Here is a photo of my mom's dad, Earl Bailey. I love his name. I loved him too but only for a short while. He died when I was small, about 8 years old. I remember my mom was expecting a baby and he died of cancer and she was so sad and crying. She said she went out to the barn to be alone and felt his presence there with words that whispered in her ear"don't worry you will be fine" or that is what I remember her saying. My mom was not much into mystical things and a very pragmatic person, so I do believe she heard his voice. I have thought about him now and again and actually have a pretty clear memory of him as a quiet man with a good sense of humor for making kids laugh. I think life was just too much for his sensitive soul and it was overwhelming the task of providing although he always worked so hard every day to make a living for my Grammy and the kids. He was an unfortunate man of the great depression we are hearing so much about these days. I don't know how people coped with the stress of not having money for food for their wives and kids. It seems that to make it through those times you had to be extremely tough and alas... Earl was not. I will always remember his smile although in this one he is not smiling but looking like he just got into trouble. His father was a very big man who had 5 kids and I think Earl was in the middle somewhere. I have a great photo of him sitting on a hand hewed wooden fence with all his siblings. I will try to find and post it soon.
Yesterday was my sister Peggy's birthday. Talk about a girl and woman who had the biggest heart. She died the day before her birthday 10 years ago, leaving 2 small girls, a victim to breast cancer. It was difficult for my parents and her husband and the little girls, and for all her siblings. But now her oldest is graduating from high school and has been accepted at Bryn Mahr and a host of other wonderful colleges. I know she is smiling down now on her and last night I felt her my heart.
Speaking of heart. As many might know, Rita is a very good athlete. She is now in track for the 4th year and is doing well. We are lucky enough in this small town to have a great!track coach, Harry Schneider from NY. He has coached and been connected to many Olympians. He has been an inspiration to all the kids on the team and especially to Rita. Last week there was a home meet on our new track and a friend who has been coming along for a couple years named Lou Hoyt (click his name to read a short article about Lou),came and stayed to help the kids by cheering them on. Lou was an Olympic high jumper and a top gun fighter pilot in Vietnam and got throat cancer. Lou survived and now his mission is to help kids overcome their fears and problems by lecturing on "strength and will in sports and life". At the last meet he was there and shaking hands with some of the kids and parents. I reached out my hand and introduced myself and told him I was Rita's mom. He looked at me with wide eyes and said,"When Rita was behind in the 300 hurdles and I was standing at the finish line, she moved forward at the end to take first place, it was her heart that did it. Rita has the heart of an Olympian." Honestly that meant more to me than anything else that day. He saw something in her that came out as a manifestation of having "heart" and I liked that so much!
So I guess my message or idea for the day is try to have heart with whatever you do. I am guessing it will mean so much more to everyone and mostly to you.
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