On June 15, 2013, my beautiful and inspiring friend, Polly Sharp, passed on to heaven at the age of 95. Though I miss her, I have to smile too, picturing her unbridled joy as she meets her Savior face-to-face!
Polly never let old age get her down. A few years ago, she still listed hiking as one of her hobbies. She drove her little blue car, nicknamed "Missy Blue," at teenager speed. Even a few weeks ago, she was talking about growing strawberries again. I never felt like I was hanging out with an "old" person when I was with Polly. One night as we were leaving writer's guild (which we attended together), Polly broke out in this wild whoop. When I asked her why, she said, "You won the contest!" Well, yes I had, and I was happy about it, but she was beside herself! That was Polly -- always thinking about other people. Maybe that's why she was such a joyful person.
Polly had a great sense of humor, was constantly making friends, and wasn't afraid to take on new projects. At the age of 94, she wrote, illustrated, and published a children's book (her first). I am so proud of her! So many other people would have made excuses that they were too old or might die before they could finish such a huge undertaking, but not Polly! She told me, "As long as I'm still here, there must be something God wants me to do."
What I remember most about Polly is her cheerful smile. Polly was the most
upbeat person I've ever known. She had plenty of physical limitations that she could
have complained about had she wanted to, but she wasn't that sort of
person. Polly loved life and the people in her life, and it showed in her face and her attitude. All of us who knew her got to see a bit of Jesus.
May God bless you, Polly, for being my friend and for being a true inspiration and a reflection of Jesus.
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