One of them was a highly respected entrepreneur and wealthy beyond all imagination. His earnings were so large that they have taken years to count and though he died 35 years ago, his riches are still being credited to him and his posterity. Until the day he passed from this world, he never stopped sharing his wealth with those he loved and with every stranger he met. Yet you would not even know his name.
His business was people, his wealth was kindness and laughter.
Another was considered to be a "hard" man by many, but his life work was to instruct the ignorant. His rough words of warning and lessons glued themselves to the minds of his students. He taught survival in a harsh and bitter world. He was known by many, understood by few.
He left deep marks, deep marks last lifetimes.
The next was a quiet hero. He toiled many years under the harshest burdens of life, yet I never knew him to have a single dark moment. Surely he had many, for the shackles he walked in were not removable and caused great pain. But his countenance was always bright, cheerful, and positive. He had one great joy and passion in life when I knew him, and he spent every waking hour protecting that jewel.
He saved a life and in so doing, his life was saved.
Like them, while we walk on this earth we leave footprints - our autographs. If we leave footprints on the beaches of meaninglessness, they wash away with the waves and tides of time. If we walk firmly on young rock, they outlast our journey and leave trails for others to follow - for generations to come. What ground do you leave your footprints in? How deep are your trails that others may follow? Where do they lead those behind you?
Autographs of great people are prized. I got Their autographs - signatures inscribed on my heart. I take them out and reflect on them too rarely. I have signed autographs too - I am humbled by the privilege and quake at the responsibility.
Cherish your autographs. Pull them out, dust them off, and look deeply.
Folks are asking who the three great men are - here they are, in order of appearance:
ReplyDelete1) Robert Henry Roberts (1898-1976) - my mother's father. He co-owned (with his son) a full service "fillin" station (Phillips 66) on the corner of W. Alabama St. and N. Vienna St. in Ruston, Louisiana. Previous to that, he owned a small grocery store on S. Farmerville St. across from the current location of the Lincoln Parish School Board. His farm is long gone; the land is now part of the Davison Transport center on Farmerville Highway.
2) Volney Lee Pierce (1908 - 1989) - my father's father. Raised on his family cotton plantation near Newelton, Louisiana. Lived his later years in Vidalia, Louisiana. Retired from Exxon Pipeline where he worked as a superintendent of several different natural gas pipeline pumping stations. Avid hunter.
3) William Clarence Kidd (1913 - 1994) - my wife's father. Left home in Springfield, Ohio, at the age of 16 to escape the coal mines where his father slaved. Worked as a cook in the CCC in California; amateur boxer (never KO'ed); built and owned a small chain of shoe stores in Shreveport, Louisiana, and surrounding areas. The life he saved was that of his daughter, my wife, Jackie...but that is another story.