Inspired By Papa: A Legacy to Live By

Isn't Facebook great? Where else can you read you friends' horoscopes, see where they had lunch, get a feel for their political views and see picture after picture of their kids, not to mention tend a farm, fight zombies and mobsters and get poked? Now, I'm as big a Facebook junkie as you'll find out there, but I pride myself on my ability to, ahem, skim my News Feed, glossing over most of the silly stuff. Once in a while though, I'll see something that stops me right in my tracks. That's what happened when my friend Kerry posted this photo of a note her late father carried in his wallet every day.

Wow.

I was struck at the depth and simplicity of these words. What an amazing code to live by. And what a tremendous legacy for Kerry's father, affectionately known as Papa to his grandchildren, to have left behind.

I asked Kerry's permission to play around with her dad's words and try to create a custom Uppercase Living design that would adequately convey their great meaning. I felt, as special as these words are, they would make a beautiful focal point in the family home, serving as a unique reminder of Papa. I came up with this design:
 

I'm not sure my design does justice to the original note. Maybe Papa's name should be added somewhere. Another idea would be to create a Photo Print from a scan of the note, with Papa's own handwriting. There is so much that can be done with an item this special: surround the words with Photo Prints of the grandchildren; create multiple copies of this expression so each of Papa's children can have one in their home; make a smaller version that can be framed along with a photo of Kerry's dad, and more. I just love the idea of these special words becoming part of the home, and keeping Papa's words and wisdom alive for his family every day.

Next time you're on Facebook reading through the canned status updates, the YouTube videos and the gross jokes, slow down a little. You just might find a gem like I did.


Thanks to Kerry and her family for sharing her father's words and allowing me to share them here with you.