Jane

Sometimes guilt is a pretty powerful thing. MaryAnn and I have been talking about going to upstate New York this year. It's been several years since we've been back and I haven't seen my parents in a long while, let alone anyone else in the family. Then Kyla texted me to say that this coming weekend (2 weeks ago) they are throwing Jane a surprise graduation party. She finally got her GED! Are you guys coming?! Well, it was Monday or Tuesday, so I talked to MaryAnn. The thought of driving 6 hours one way to spend a day in Bath, New York always seems illogical, but after a brief conversation we thought it would be worth it (and it would relieve my guilt). Almost all my family will be there, we'll get to see my parents, and Jane's celebration sounded wonderful. We're in!

Here's the greatest thing about Jane getting her GED. She's 60! Jane is part of our family. She's not really a legally adopted sister, but she's been with us since my earliest memories. She was a pregnant teen when we took her in, and I can remember growing up with her vividly. She has several children, a very nice family, and they were all there at the party. Life hasn't always smiled on Jane and she's worked really hard all her life, but the one thing she never gave up on was her education. A GED at 60? Why? Well, to borrow a phrase from my Mom, because she said so, that's why (love you Mom). She just wasn't going to let that one get away from her. Too often we dream our dreams, then let them pass without really giving any effort to achieve them. Possible dreams, things we have the talent or ability to do. We get lazy, life gets in the way, things get complicated and the years slip away. Not this time for Jane, it was the one thing she wanted and it wasn't easy for her. She struggled in Math especially, but her mentors and friends were there when she needed them. "Someone said it couldn't be done, but she with a chuckle replied ..."

Bath is a beautiful, sleepy little town. The more things change, the more they stay the same. MaryAnn and I spent a day with Karen visiting a couple of wineries, seeing the countryside, and driving through and around Bath. Great memories, I feel old and nostalgic. We arrive at the party fashionably late, and there are close to 100 people there! In Bath! It was remarkable to me that Jane meant that much to these people. After Jane put on her graduation robe and entered, she gave a very nice speech. Then her son-in-law announced "open mike" so that Jane's friends could tell us what she's meant to them. One after another they spoke. Some funny, some tearful, all meaningful and appreciative. A life lived in a small town, a simple life, seemingly meaningless but nonetheless touching the hearts and lives of others. Then, Jane's granddaughter spoke. It was nothing, really, but it was everything. She said that she had been struggling in school, confessed that her efforts weren't what they should be. She was bored, she was tired, school didn't have any real meaning attached to it. Then her grandmother showed by her actions how important it was to her, she showed how hard she worked for something her granddaughter thought was silly. So she vowed right then to turn herself around and start performing in school. Since her grandmother graduated, she had no excuse!

Isn't it marvelous how sometimes your actions have consequences far beyond what you believe? Like a stone thrown in a pond, Jane's determination produced a ripple in her granddaughter's life, a statement of inspiration that woke her up to the possibilities of an education. I'm certain Jane didn't plan that or even see that coming, it was one of those perfect, simple moments in life that touch your heart. Jane the grandmother, Jane the pregnant teen, Jane the amount-to-nothing struggler in life just became the wise elder of her family before our eyes. It was beautiful.

Pablo Picasso said, "I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it." Jane showed me that time and determination can produce a powerful life lesson. She showed that our struggles, our stubborn goals, our dreams yet unrealized, however insignificant they may seem to us, can be nothing but the most miraculous tool in God's hands. Jane showed me what happens when you just keep working towards your dreams, even when it seems like it's too late. A GED at 60? What do you do with a high school diploma at 60? You give it to God so he can save the life of your granddaughter by altering her mental path with your example. That's what a GED at 60 is good for.

What's your excuse? Pick a goal, dig out your life list and choose one thing. Something tough, something insignificant, something that you cannot do. Then do it. Enjoy the struggle, embrace your failures, and in the end you'll be in a better place. When you're done God will use you, as he used Jane, to inspire someone else to succeed in life.

In the beginning I was looking towards a weekend of slogging up Rt. 15 for 6 hours one way to say hello to everyone, then turning around and coming back home. In the end I received a gift of being allowed to witness one of the small miracles in life. A miracle of love, perseverence, faith, steadfastness, and a blossoming of hope for a future generation of Janes. All at once, all 100 of us wanted to be like Jane. Especially her granddaughter.