Better Because of Your Heartfelt Humility … Trudy

John & Karen – August 13, 1977

So, almost 4 years ago … I wrote the following “Better Because of You”  tribute in a private note to my ‘maid of honor’.  My hubby and I will be celebrating our 37th anniversary in August 2014, so our friendship blossomed about 40 years ago … but … as it often goes with friendship, we lost touch for many, many years.  I got permission from Trudy to share some of my personal correspondence with her in this public blog because it unexpectedly sparked something special … 

November 17, 2010

Belated Happy Birthday Trudy! It just occurred to me that (if memory serves me right!) it was your birthday on Monday (November 15th) … and I hope it was a day that made your heart smile!
It’s hard to believe it has been almost 15 years since we have connected … the time flies by so fast as we spend our moments ‘doing’ all the things that seem important at any given time.  In fact, that is why I was inspired to reconnect with you after all these years. It seems that no matter where we go or what we are doing in life, our ‘being’ has been significantly impacted by those who have been part of our journey along the way.

YOU are one of those people … and … I wanted to take a moment to “thank you”.

Do you remember the first time we met? I sure do. Bart and John played poker together and somehow we were introduced. I was intimidated by how physically beautiful you were … and then I became even more impressed when I noticed that your outward beauty was actually quite pale in comparison to your inner beauty. I’ll never forget driving down Scenic Drive in Greenie (your trusty Toyota) and I’m not sure where we were going, but we had just met and I asked you what you did.

You casually responded by saying “I go to school”. I naively assumed you meant high school and I don’t even know how long it took before I realized that you were an undergraduate art major at university.  You were already doing what I naively believed was going to finally give my life some significance – make it more meaningful … but you had no need to validate your sense of self by broadcasting your association with higher education.

I can’t begin to tell you the impact that your grace and humility made upon me. You could have tried to impress me with what you were ‘doing’, but you didn’t. Your lack of pretentiousness was so refreshing and so inspiring to me … that I still recall it (39ish years later!). In fact, as I look back on it now, I am more and more inclined to respect those who are more concerned about how they are ‘being’ in the world, rather than what they are ‘doing’. I really want to thank you for ‘being’ such a great example of humble, gracious and unpretentious ‘beingness’. It is a quality that I am finally coming to embrace … more than a quarter of a century later … 🙂

Anyway, although our paths have not crossed much over the past 15(ish) years, it is my hope that one day we can get together and ‘catch up’. I would love the opportunity to re-connect, but in the meantime I just wanted to reach out and let you know that you have been a huge inspiration to me.

I am better because of you … !

With fond memories, warmest hugs and much love, Karen

P.S. Since sending this note  …  we arranged a chance to spend some very meaningful moments reminiscing and reconnecting at Bart and Trudy’s home in Phoenix!  I am so grateful for the chance we created to do some more great memory making … and … our joys were all the better with their warm and wonderful hospitality! 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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