A Special Tribute

There are certain principles that I have always tried to teach my children, those that are the foundation of my value system. For example, choose a career that you are passionate about (you have to do it for a long long time) regardless of how much money you earn, live within your means and making a lot of money doesn’t equal success, sometimes wealth has nothing to do with money. My children have probably heard me say these things to them hundreds of times in their short life time. More than just hearing me say it, one can only pray that someone else models those principles for my kids and it has an impact on their lives.

Earlier this week this world lost a shining example of all of those things. Karen Crawford, a name that so many knew in our community. And as I attended a portion of her funeral services I realized just what we had witnessed and what we had lost. She was a teacher and a coach. She loved what she did and did it because she was passionate about the kids she taught and those she coached. Every life she touched she made a difference. Generations of girls/women’s lives in our community were shaped and molded by this one person who gave so much of herself.

Her funeral was packed with people who loved her; both family, friends, former students, athletes and moms. The people just kept coming and coming, pouring in to pay their respects to this amazing woman and her family. My daughter drove 4.5 hours to attend and honor this woman who meant so much to her. There were tears and laughter throughout, with stories being told of her spirited personality and true love of God, Family and people. In her death, I think we all were able to look around and realize the depth of her influence and a life well lived.

How did we come to know and love Karen Crawford? She was my daughters high school cheer coach. But she was so much more than just a coach to Lizzy. Karen was a mentor, an encourager that anything was possible with a little hard work and was Lizzy’s biggest cheerleader (outside of me) – and really all that knew her felt the same way. She had a unique way of being that very thing to many people as well as her own family. I am lucky enough that our paths crossed and she reinforced and modeled what I so wanted my daughter to learn in this life. I am grateful for the lessons she passed along to not only my daughter but to the many girls in our area that will take those lessons and pass them along to the future generations. Like a pebble dropped in a lake that ripples to the shore – Karen’s legacy will ripple along for many lifetimes….