When
you live nearly 100 years, you have a lot of opportunity to do just that…to
live.
My
Aunt Geraldine certainly took advantage of it. She lived a full life, inspiring
others as she went. I went to college with one of the co-writers of
award-winning song, “I Hope You Dance.” Geraldine certainly lived out the
song’s lyric that reads, “When you get a chance to sit it out or dance, I hope
you dance…”
I
doubt Geraldine ever sat out a dance. Following doctor’s advice she danced,
danced, danced…and danced some more. (But somehow, knowing her, I think she would
have danced regardless of the doctor’s advice!)
She
figuratively and literally danced through life, through good times and bad, leaving
in her wake a wealth of admirers, friends, memories and inspiration.
Aunt
Geraldine once told me she was on the dance floor the night Rock and Roll Hall
of Famer, Carl Perkins heard a young man say to his dance partner, “Don’t step
on my suedes!” This was the inspiration for a rock classic. Later in life, I
interviewed Perkins while working for a newspaper, and her story and his story were the same. So in my mind,
I always thought it was kind of cool that my Great Aunt Geraldine was witness
to rock and roll history.
Of
course, my aunt was kind of a rock star, too. Wherever she went, she had “a
look,” a style that was all her own, which I also thought to be cool. Now, she
would have stood out anyway, but by having her own image, even added to the
magic that was my aunt.
She
really was one of a kind. I always marveled at how such a BIG personality could
fit into such a small frame. She defined the word outgoing. People loved her
and she loved them. She enjoyed life, and it was so obvious that strangers
would want to meet her…and this happened a lot.
“How
do you do it?” they would ask. “I hope I can do that too when I’m your age.”
When
I reflect on it…she really was a big deal! (You know those, "I'm kind of a big deal" T-shirts? She coulda worn one with all honesty.)
I
think they/we were drawn to her energy like a moth to a flame. If only we could
all be so lucky, to have a Geraldine Williams in our lives, an inspiration…a
figure that claims: Hey, folks, this is how it’s done!
For
40-plus years, Geraldine worked at the Corner Drug Store and believed in
giving customer service with a smile. She cared for people and made them feel
better just by being who she was. What a perfect match for her. It’s funny how
God tends to put people where they need to be for the greatest impact.
She
successfully lived the term “single mom” before it was something on the radar
of our social consciousness. Her love and loyalty to her family will always
stand as an example of how it’s done. She told me of her struggles to make ends
meet. Sometimes her life played songs that weren’t easy to dance to, but she
never lost her step.
Her
house was always a special place for me and all other visitors. It was always
wall-papered with photos of family and friends. She made you feel at home. She
played baseball with me when I was young. And later in life when she was still
young, in her 80’s, she played baseball with my son, Landon. The aged baseball
player, Satchel Paige, often pondered, “How old would you be, if you didn’t
know how old you were?” I think Geraldine would agree…one is as old as they
want to be.
She
never wanted anyone to leave her home without having had something to eat or
drink; and friends and family rarely left her home without hearing, “I love
you,” called from the porch.
Rest
assured, I will always remember Aunt Geraldine’s dancing, but since, by no
stretch of the leotard, am I a dancer. I am much more likely to first remember
her laughter. It was infectious. And she told us her face had laugh lines and
not wrinkles. And I hope her laughter and love for fun will haunt mine and the hearts
of many for years.
Some
have told me the measure of life is how many ripples you make in The Pond. Aunt
Geraldine made a lot of ripples. Her life touched so many others.
Science
tells us that all stars burn out…and it’s true. But…but, even in this death, a
star’s light continues to travel through space and be seen light years away.
Well, our own star Geraldine is no longer here to shine among us…but the light
she left, continues to shine here on earth and in heaven. And I really think if
we look for it, even in our memories, it will always help show us The Way.