Life sometimes places special people in your path, people
who inspire you to accomplishment without any direct communication. I’m not
talking about famous philosophers or well-known celebrities. I’m talking about
people who go through their lives not even knowing the great affect they have
on others.
Recently one of those exceptional people in my life, Sandy Granholm, passed
away far too soon.
I had just seen her at the Elgin
Genealogical Society’s (EGS) meeting in late January where she presented her
third family history book to the Gail Borden Public Library. She appeared in
good health and was her normal, jovial, smiling self. We had a short but
interesting conversation about publications.
Researching, writing and publishing are the areas in which
Sandy inspired me the most. She had been
a leader of EGS long before I joined in 1995 and was well on her way towards
publishing her findings even when I was just a fledgling. She didn’t flaunt her
abilities but gave quiet encouragement. She was simply Sandy going about her
business and, by example, motivating others.
Since having met her I’ve published, in various forms, two
family lines and two individual’s stories. I’m currently trying to decide how
to best publish my Leisure line. This one I aspire to be as profession as Sandy’s
work. I’ll miss not being able to get more advice from Sandy but am so happy I
had the opportunity to know and learn from her.
~ Becky
Well said Becky. She was an inspiration to all of us.
ReplyDeleteJudy