Did you ever know that you're my hero? And everything I would like to be...

Here's some real truth. If we allow it, we will continuously meet people who inspire us to be better people in whatever capacity that means. There are people who inspire us professionally; people who inspire us spiritually; people who inspire us creatively; people who inspire us in whatever passion we are pursuing...and I could go on, but you get the idea. But very few people will actually leave such a permanent footprint in our lives that they go beyond "inspiration". To me, these people are known as "heroes". Webster's dictionary defines hero as this:

• a person who is admired for great or brave acts or fine qualities
• a person who is greatly admired

On this day (June 18) was born one of my greatest heroes, my grandmother, Marillyn Maxson. I have gushed many times over my sweet Mama, and while today is her birthday also, this blog post is for her mother. :)

Words even fail me now as I think about the impact she's had on my life. You see, my grandmother went blind due to complications from diabetes when I was 5 years old. Now, I'm sure she had her times of grief, frustration and anger, but that's something I never saw. Everything I saw in her was LOVE first (and always), HOPE, DETERMINATION, and most of all ABILITY!

My grandmother taught me how to knit, crochet, macrame, play cards, cook, crafts of all kinds...and so much more...and she did it completely blind. She cooked every meal, every day, including all of our family and holiday meals...and she did it completely blind and for most of my life. She lobbied for better handicapped parking and public accessibility and she helped form Programs for Accessible Living (PAL) which is now Disability Rights, Inc. She was even the president of the YWCA!!

But, one of the greatest things about my grandmother was her passion for educating people, especially about disabilites. I was taught at a very young age to be open about mine so others would have an understanding. When she got her first seeing eye dog, she took her "show on the road" to elementary schools to teach children about disabilities. She would bring blind folds for children to experience "blindness", sound-proof headphones for children to experience "hearing loss", ankle weights for children to experience "mobility issues", etc, believing that experiencing led to understanding. But the highlight of it all was her dog. Everybody loved her dog, especially the kids.

Now that I have my own service dog, some have said that I'm following in my grandmother's footsteps by educating people on new types of disabilities and their varying degrees. Many people still don't know what a mobility service dog is for, and while I would be happy to explain now, this just isn't the post for that. Suffice to say, Lyla helps me with many tasks that I would otherwise struggle with. My experiences with my service dog have helped me to relate to my grandmother in ways I had never thought of before - some good (like being able to educate people), some not so good (like walking into a store or restaurant with all eyes on you and your dog and hearing the whispers). So, in those not-so-good times, I'm reminded of my grandmother and the confidence she possessed and I draw my own from it.

I'm grateful to my grandmother for setting such a wonderful example of "handicapable" - that's a phrase she came up with because she never saw herself (or me!) as handicapped. We were still plenty able to do anything we set our minds to. Her example taught me how to think outside the box on how to do things I wanted to do if the "typical" way was too difficult. If you had met my grandmother, you would barely know she was blind. Heck, I've even watched her cut bad spots out of fruits and vegetables better than a sighted person (ok, that sighted person is me, but we're not going there! haha!)!

She was the epitome of grace, strength and courage...but most especially love! My grandmother loved all who crossed her path. To be put in the same category as her is one of the biggest compliments I could ever be paid and I'm humbled that some do think that way. There's a reason a day was proclaimed in her honor in 1989 by our Mayor - she was a remarkable woman who was a champion for those who battled disability of any type. She never let hers stop her! Dimentia ended up doing just that...but not her blindness. She had better sight than most people I know.

Thank you for your contributions to this world, Granny! You are fondly remembered by many and the impact you made here continues to amaze me. I love and miss you every day, but I'm thankful for the path you laid out for me! While I'm not sure I'll ever fill your shoes, I hope to walk in your footsteps one day!

This picture was taken for The Charlotte Observer in 1989 in honor of her special proclamation.