Make Your Day Rosy – Leaving a Positive Touch on the Lives of Others.

My life last week week (and this week) has been totally tied up in my children and their activities. While I was waiting for Sam and Gabe to finish their piano lessons I started reading the paper. A familiar face unexpectedly looked up to me from the pages of the local obituaries! Joann, a woman at church had passed away very suddenly.

Joann was a church lady. If something needed to be done in the church, or if they were looking for volunteers, Joann’s name was probably on the list of folks who had signed up. I first met her when Calvin was four years old and signed up for pre-school religion class. Joann was going to be his very first classroom teacher. She took great pains to make fun age-appropriate lesson plans that were fun for the kids and taught them about Jesus. I remember in about October of that year, she noticed that I was pregnant and asked me if I would bring my baby in to the class in May so that the kids could look at a baby and see how much they had grown in just four short years! I was reluctant when she asked me. My previous birth had been so horrible and I was afraid this one would be as well, or that something would happen to the baby. Joann put her hand on my arm and told me she knew everything would be alright. I felt comforted by her confidence in me. Sure enough in the spring I was able to bring baby Sam to Joanne’s preschool religion class.

Another time I was at church with little Calvin and little Sam and holding my newest baby boy. Joanne came up to me on the steps of the church and said, “what’s this baby’s name?” I told her, “this is Gabriel Ernest!” Joanne got a great big smile on her face and said, “Angel Gabriel, come blow your horn!” and we both laughed out loud. I loved that she loved my baby’s name and it was so kind of her to make such a big deal about it.

I guess by the time I had my fourth baby Joann figured we were truly pro-life and she would call me before Mother’s Day to help her sell carnations for Right to Life. By last year I had big sturdy boys to help her carry in the big pails of carnations and water.

Joann had sorrow in her life as well. One of her sons had a baby with a girl outside of marriage. The baby was of course Joann’s grandchild, but the young lady was not her daughter-in-law. I gathered that made for a difficult relationship at times. Still Joann spent as much time as she could with her grandson to the point that he was often seen following his grandma around the church and helping her with her many activities. He as a joy to her.

Joann always use to say, “Make Your Day Rosie!” I think she literally meant you had to MAKE your own day a good one. She believed everyone had the power within themselves to make their day good regardless of what other problems they were facing.

A few weeks ago I was taking books back to the library and I met Joann coming out. She looked tired but still walked with that jaunty step. We chatted for a little bit and she asked about the kids. She was always so pleasant to talk to. She never mentioned that she was sick.

Joann was one of those Titus 2 women that touched my life gently through the years and just made such a positive difference with the little things she said and did. When I think of Joann I’m going to try to remember how she touched and influenced me with her happy kindness, and friendly disposition. I sure will miss her.

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