San Francisco Bay February 8, 2012
Oil on Wood
6"X8"
SOLD
My neighbor, Ann Grace, who at nearly 96 died last week, had these words tacked to her kitchen wall. I copied them on a scrap of paper and tacked them to my studio wall where they have stayed for 28 years. Faded and barely legible, here are her words to live by:
To succeed is to achieve one's goal;
To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people
and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics
and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child,
a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.
Attributed,
perhaps incorrectly, to Ralph Waldo Emerson, it may have been written by Bessie Stanley.
Whoever wrote the words, for me they will always be Ann's. And "to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived -- this is to have succeeded" will be my guide.
