Growing up, most kids spent their time playing and hanging out with friends. While I certainly did my share of that, I also had the opportunity to have a different experience that led me to what we do today.

My grandmother raised three children on her own starting in the 1940’s. No easy task given the time period and the situation. I was the first grandchild and lived in the same town as my grandmother, so naturally a bond formed between us that would last a lifetime. As a result, I spent a lot of time with her when I was growing up.

My grandmother worked a full-time job, but in the evenings, she spent a lot of time going around town visiting the shut-ins, elderly and those that were not well. She would bring them one of her special cakes (more on that in another story) and I would often accompany her. While she visited, I would either be a part of the conversation or work on my homework, but somehow, I was always included.

What I didn’t realize at the time was that she was instilling in me a sense of responsibility and service early on that would follow me throughout my life. Her passion for giving back and taking care of others knew no bounds and it isn’t surprising that her late life bout with dementia led to this program that we are all a part of.

I am going to be on vacation until Memorial day, so until that time I am going to be reposting a series of stories each day that I wrote last year about my grandmother, the inspiration for this program. Hopefully, they will be new to many of you. For those that have read them before, I hope that you enjoy reading the stories again. I will be taking some down time to recharge and be ready to go full force again when I return.  Until then,  remember to be the reason someone smiles.

Ron