Just Named to the Class of 2012 "20 Under 40"

http://www.timesrecordnews.com/photos/2013/jan/23/77721/
Thanks to everyone for all the “congratulations” calls, texts, emails, FB messages, and to those customers who came into the Pecan Shed to wish me a “congrats!” Y’all really know how to make a girl feel special!
Last night I sat down to show Dotty the picture in the newspaper and read the article to her. When I was done Dotty said, “So why are you in the paper?”
I said simply (she is only 5 after all), “I try really hard to do a good job at the Pecan Shed and I help others who need my help.”
Dotty paused for a minute with a look of confusion on her face then she shrugged her shoulders and said, “So what?”
A bit surprised I said, “What do you mean ‘so what’?”
Dotty said “I help my friends when they need my help and I try hard to do good at school too. I get a gold star every day…well almost every day. My picture has never been in the paper. Why is yours?”
Dotty has a great way of bringing things down into black and white for me (she is only 5 after all).
Dotty helped me to remember what I already knew. Lots of people in the community and many other communities do great things. Lots of people deserve to have their picture in the paper and their story told. Unfortunately most don’t. They don’t because they do things anonymously or because they like to work behind the scenes or because they just simply get overlooked in today’s busy world.
I know there are a lot of deserving people out there…just like I know the 19 others who were honored along with me yesterday are all really deserving people too.
We don’t all get to be recognized in such a public way but we can all recognize each other. So the next time you see someone doing something great give them a “gold star”…like Dotty gets at school…or simply give them a “thank you”.
I really am VERY proud to be part of the class of 2012 “20 Under 40” and I am part of a great group of people. I know how much this honor means and I feel truly blessed.
I did end my talk with Dotty last night by saying this, “If you keep working really hard and you keep doing good things some day you could be named 20 Under 40 and have your picture in the paper too.”
Dotty (in her best “duh Mom” voice) said, “Mom…I am A LOT younger than 40!”
Well…she is only 5 after all!