The power of one...

This past weekend I went to the funeral of my Aunt Judy. She is my Mom's sister and I learned so much about her this weekend. In fact the local paper put out this article about her on Saturday. She was a woman with passion and talent and an incredible worth ethic.

She and her husband Colin and their son Campbell moved to a town called Claremont in southern CA in the 70's. Claremont is a beautiful little village that has beautiful homes, vegetation and history. Much of the beauty of this town is directly attributed to my aunt. It is not your typical southern Cali town. You see when they moved there in the 70's she immediately got involved in civic affairs. She eventually was elected to the city council and was even the mayor for a few years. She has greatly influenced and shaped the development of Claremont and the "village" concept. She has preserved history yet also helped the town move into the future by bringing modern transportation to the town. She even wrote two books about it's history.

Many people this weekend said over and over that Claremont wouldn't be the town it was today without Judy's influence. However one of the women who paid tribute to her said this, "Judy was a giant in Claremont, but she was also the heart of it." Not only was she concerned with the preservation and atmosphere of Claremont, she also was deeply concerned about people. She was a fantastic mother to her son Campbell, a loving and nurturing grandmother to her 5 grandchildren and a loving wife to Colin. She was a loving sister, daughter and a wonderful aunt. She had many friends and influenced countless others.

I was inspired this weekend to be better. I was inspired to get more involved in my community and have influence on it. I was inspired to improve my talents and find new ones. I was inspired to be more passionate about those things I feel strongly about. I was inspired to be more people oriented and to really let those I care about know it.

I am grateful for Judy and for the influence she had on so many and for the way she has inspired me. I am sad I didn't get more time with her while on this earth, I could have learned much from her. I am grateful she is part of my heritage and that I can teach my children about her and she can also influence their lives. Love you Aunt Judy and will miss you terribly!