CF Missions
GETTING LUCKY
A LIFE SPENT LOVING
AN IRONMAN WITH HEART, Milwaukee, WI
RING MY BELL, Coon Rapids, MN
KIDS THAT CARE, New Brighton, MN
ISN’T LIFE A STITCH, Marcell, MN
AN OLD IRISH BLESSING
A LIFE SPENT LOVING
Some people need bright lights, neon signs and nonstop action in
their life in order to feel like they are leaving a mark on this
world. But Geraldine Richards never felt the need to hang with such
a flashy crowd. Long ago, Geraldine decided to make her mark by
being a committed and loving wife, mother and grandmother.
After 89 years of dedicating her life to family, this “well-liked,
well-loved” gal ended up teaching her husband, Thomas, her 3
children, 8 grandchildren, and countless others one of life’s most
important lessons: how to spend a lifetime loving.
It turns out that this invaluable lesson is one that her daughter,
Judy Reed, took to heart. After Geraldine’s passing in the Fall of
2007, Judy (a childhood neighbor of mine), wondered what she could
do with the memorial money to carry on her mother’s legacy of love.
Knowing that children held a special place in her mother’s heart,
Judy decided to donate the $275 to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to
help fund research projects dedicated to saving thousands of
children’s lives. And with this unbelievably kind act, Judy quickly
educated our family on what it means to love “Geraldine-style.”
So when I saw a small billboard the other day with crooked little
letters that said: “All that truly matters in the end is that you
loved,” I thought to myself: “Now I bet that’s something Geraldine
would have said!”
