Deborah Ruth Shaw Lewis

 Tomorrow is my sister, Debi's, birthday. I wrote the following on her 60th birthday -TEN years ago!!

Dear Debi,

    You are a treasure as a daughter, sister, wife, mother, and friend. On a personal level, I appreciate your sisterly love and support throughout the ups and downs of my life. On my children and grandchildren’s behalf, I appreciate your consistent interest in and encouragement of their skills, abilities, and interests.  On behalf of our Lord, I appreciate your constant witness for Him in your life and in your words.

    It is said that the unexamined life is not worth living, and a milestone birthday is a good time to examine one’s life. I have been doing that as I also approach a milestone birthday this month.

    Many philosophers and world thinkers have attempted to define success in life.  Some have suggested unique qualifiers; but many qualities make most lists.  In thinking about your 60^th birthday coming up, I looked up definitions of success and related them to you.  The next page is a short treatise on how I see that information in relation to your 60 years of life.

I love you,

Joan

 

Deborah Ruth Shaw Lewis

 

In an essay contest in 1905, Mrs. A. J. Stanley wrote this less-than-100-words prize-winning essay on what constitutes success.  (It has often been mistakenly attributed to Robert Louis Stevenson.)

"He has achieved success who has lived well, laughed often and loved much; who has gained the respect of intelligent men and the love of little children; who has filled his niche and accomplished his task; who has left the world better than he found it, whether by an improved poppy, a perfect poem, or a rescued soul; who has never lacked appreciation of earth’s beauty or failed to express it; who has always looked for the best in others and given them the best he had; whose life was an inspiration; whose memory a benediction."

 

Taken phrase by phrase, I would evaluate Debi’s 60 years so far as unqualified SUCCESS:

• Debi has lived well!
• Debi has laughed often! (and loudly)
• Debi has loved much! (She constantly makes sure we know by her words as well as by her actions that she loves each of her family members.)
• Debi has gained the respect of intelligent people! (Intelligent people such as the writer of this piece of weighty prose.)
• Debi has gained the love of little children! (practically ALL little children – in the family, at the church, in the pumpkin patch, in schools, in stores…)
• Debi has filled her niche and accomplished her task! (She has been the consummate mother to her own children, and she has served as temporary acting-mom for hundreds of children in periods of minutes, hours, days, and weeks as need or opportunity arose. Lillian, Brannon, Amanda, Josh, and AnnaGrace are 5 of those who benefitted from her long-term care in their early childhoods. She has passed along her expertise in the field to others through her advice and her writing.)
• Debi is in process of making the world a better place!
• Debi has always appreciated (and expressed her appreciation) of Earth’s beauty.
• Debi has looked for the best in others and given them the best she has! (She possesses more than the usual amount of empathy for others, and her friends can tell that she feels their joy and pain with them. All her nieces and nephews have more positive self images, more upright character, and stronger faith due to her consistent love and support.)
• Debi’s life is an inspiration!  (She embodies Christian personhood, loving God with her body, mind, soul and spirit. All those whose lives she touches come away knowing that God is indeed Love.)
• Debi’s memory is already a benediction.  (The word benediction comes from two root words:  bene which means good and dict which mean speaking or words.  A benediction, is by definition, a good word, a blessing, a wishing someone well.)