[Jen] was kind enough to ask me to write a “Top 5″ list [for] 2009. I can not name five cds that came [out] in 2009 and, though I can name five movies that came out [in 2009], I wasn’t inclined to list them. So, I jokingly suggested, [that I could write] “The Top 5 Chess Opening Novelties of the Year”, only to hear back that [Jen] would love [to publish] it. Unfortunately, I am not that good of a chess player; I could fake it, but that’s not really me. [So here is my "Top 5" list:] “Remembrances”.
1. Helen Varner – My ex-step-grandmother, a complicated title for a simple woman. [It's] funny, that “simple” has become a negative word. I typed it and suddenly felt the need to defend it, to explain that I mean it in its most noble of sense. Someone whose instinct was to be kind, caring, concerned for friends and family, while making sure that people felt warm and cared about when being with her.
2. Kristi Lowery Lim – I had not had the pleasure of speaking with this young lady for many years when I heard of her passing. So, though I can’t speak to the woman she was (though I would bet my bottom dollar she was a wonderful wife and mother), I can speak to the girl she was. Kind, considerate, pleasant, and friendly to even the most awkward of classmates. It is this general friendliness and kindness that I remember best [about Kristi] and I hope I display and pass on these qualities to others.
3. Dr. “Doc” Armand Patrucco – He is the smartest man I ever knew. What touched me most had nothing to do with his intelligence. His kindness, willingness to listen, thoughtfulness, sense of humor, and ability to overcome obstacles are in my thoughts often, routinely helping guide my actions. Though, I am sure that Doc would not always agree with my actions, as I do not always agree with the actions of my friends, I hope that I would show them the same kindness and willingness to listen, that he had always shown me.
4. Ira Lee Riddle – The first time we met, we screamed at each other, the times after we grumpily acknowledged each others existence. Heck, I’m half convinced he talked God into giving me a flood (a small one), just to see if I could handle directing an adult tournament with some chaos. The confidence gained, along with a great story to retell, is something I will use in the tournaments I direct in the future.
5. Freddie Fritsche – Relatives are a funny thing. So many times, we don’t even know our own family or how interesting they can be. We get caught up in our own lives, our own ways of doing things. Each person comes with their own stories and if we don’t hear them before the person is gone, we will never get the chance. Freddie’s passing reminds me to hear about each person I meet, as I may not have the chance to do so again.
These 5 people could not be more different: careers, ages, passions, and fortunes, all different, but all of them touched my lives. Each person who enters our lives, will leave it, but by learning something from them, they are not really gone. Not everyone who enters our life will create positive memories or changes, but if we can pass on those positive lessons that we learn from others, maybe we can make every year better than the previous one.
Guest Author Bio: Joshua Milton Anderson teaches and runs tournaments for Silver Knights Chess, as well as some eBay work, and spends his free time on a variety of history/puzzle projects. He lives in Paoli, PA, with his wife, Brandy, and a menagerie of plants and animals.
