Simple Greatness

I just read this letter to the editor and felt moved by it. Thought I would share it. Reminds me of the central theme of the movie, "It's a Wonderful Life" that one person's life can have a very profound effect on the lives of so many others.

BTW the bold emphasis in the letter was done by me.


Letters to the editor
Saturday, August 04, 2007 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Simple greatness

If you were one of the hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people who were delayed in traffic on Friday, July 27, while an 88-car funeral procession wound its way through Garfield, Shadyside and Squirrel Hill, you may have been wondering "who died?" -- 88 cars! Indeed, it must have been some important politician; perhaps it was a great religious leader or maybe some rich well-to-do businessman with far-reaching connections.

Believe it or not, it was none of the above. In fact, using the standards by which our world measures "greatness," the 88-car funeral procession was for nobody important. It was for my mother-in law, Alice Laffey -- homemaker, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, neighbor, friend.

In an age where motherhood, parenting and friendship have been reduced to the trite sentiments on greeting cards and the idea that one person can make a difference is the fantasy of Disney films, Alice Laffey's life and legacy remind us that you don't need to be powerful, rich or famous to change the world ... You simply need to practice the politics of kindness, preach the religion of hope and conduct the business of hospitality.

Just ask anyone who was riding in one of those 88 cars.

KEITH G. KONDRICH Swisshelm Park