The other day I learned that an old family friend had passed away. She and her husband were close friends with my parents, and she was the last one standing.
I’ll call her Jane. I saw quite a bit of her when I was young, but once I became and adult and left home I only saw her at special events; weddings, anniversary parties, and funerals. The last time I saw her was over twenty years ago. As soon as I heard she had passed away, I looked up her obituary. It included a photo, probably taken a good fifty years ago. And while Jane wasn’t overly pretty, she was an attractive woman and surprisingly photogenic.
Her obituary began the usual way. When and where she was born. It mentioned her parents, grandparents, and siblings. It mentioned her marriage and a business her husband once owned. There was also a mention of her being a cub scout den mother, and that’s when her story took an odd twist. Instead of saying she was a full time mom and homemaker, it listed all the country clubs she’d belonged to. It concluded with saying that she had spent her entire adult life playing bridge at the country club.
Wow.
Don’t get me wrong. I’ve always had a great deal of admiration for full time moms. I think they have one of the most important, and overlooked, roles in society. I also think we should make time to do the things we enjoy doing. It brings meaning and balance in our lives. If playing cards is what you enjoy doing then so be it. However, there’s a whole lot more to life than just playing cards at the country club.
Life is about what we do for others, and doing what we can to make the world a better place. It’s also about the legacy we leave behind. Whether it’s my Luke and Jenny series of novelettes for young readers, or my Marina Martindale contemporary romance novels, my job as a novel writer is to bring a little joy into people’s lives, even if it’s only for a few minutes out of their busy day. For me, doing what I can to help people take a break from their troubles is a life well spent.
Gayle Martin