By Janie Smith

I will always remember Shannon for her kindness and her beautiful smile. Even though I didn’t get to spend a lot of time with her, whenever we would have a chance to visit at Grandma Maxines house she would always ask me questions about my life. She seemed to be truly interested in how I was doing and what was going on with me. I hope to follow that example in making others feel loved and important.

As I read through Shanes story I loved where he said, “this website is called mending fences to encourage you to let others know how much they mean to you and to enjoy them while they are here.” The part about letting others know how much they mean to you really jumped out at me. I feel like I sometimes take those people for granted who mean the most to me. The day I read this I decided I would go out of my way to really let my family know how much I love them. I went through the day with a different perspective, thinking about how much they mean to me and how grateful I am to have them in my life. I hugged each one of them extra tight and I took time to look each person in the eyes and tell them that I love them. That may seem like a small thing, but my heart felt so full. Thank you so much Shane for having the courage to share Shannons story and your own. It really inspired me to think deeply and to treasure the special relationships in my life.