Each year at the Turkey Trot I think about how my sister-in-law Kara has made an imprint on all that swirling activity.
As a graphic designer, she has designed everything from the website to the logos on the medals and t-shirts. That whole morning is swimming with her touch. It is amazing the ripple effects of one person.
Well, as we skied together as a family the week after Christmas I couldn’t help but get all mushy about Dave’s imprint. Completely different from Kara’s, of course, as we all have such different things that give us push and drive.
I thought about his imprint as we all followed him up and down those mountains.
I thought about how that imprint isn’t as visual as logos rippling out to the thousands at a turkey trot.
But it is set powerfully in the hearts of each of his kids (and his wife!) as we made our way up and down mountain after mountain, following each other like ducks in a row, zig-zagging down black diamonds hitting moguls filled with the softest, fresh snow on every run, all of us together. Finding some gem runs all to ourselves (even during such a busy week on the slopes), all of us whooping and hollering in glee through all that beauty, hearts racing and legs burning.
I felt overcome with gratitude for all the effort and energy Dave has put in over the years, poured into patiently teaching and preparing and nurturing.
Dave’s dream is becoming mine too.
We all have the power to make an imprint on others somehow.
What will ours be?
It isn’t really all of you no? What about Lucy, who can’t ski?
Yes, I should have mentioned that! Not everyone was on the slopes, Lucy and Abby laid low together while we skied, wish they could have joined as well but we made up for being away from each other at night!