The Compelling Life of Francis Mesina
The Story of Francis
A young girl of Sicilian heritage, met and married a young Hoosier named Louie Miller. Together, they worked hard to raise a family that included my dad, Gerald. This family made a living by farming, hunting, fishing, and working in Brown County, Indiana. Francis and Louis, known as Granny and Grandad to my generation, were amazing people who left a remarkable legacy.
The Legacy of Francis
From the many stories I’ve heard, Grandad was a hard working, loving dad with a kind heart and a great sense of humor. Unfortunately, I never knew his as he passed away near the age of 60 when I was just a year old. His legacy lived on through the stories and through the influence he had on his children and how they lived their lives. Granny, however, lived into her 90s. So along with my many family members, I had the great fortune to know and treasure this force of goodness. Adored by everyone who knew and met her, Francis was the picture of kindness, compassion, and joy. A remarkable woman who made a tremendous impact in this world by fully living each day with passion and love for others.
Her Mission
Over the years, in my own search for meaning and purpose, I created a personal mission statement. Something I hadn’t actually considered until now was that this statement looks a lot like Granny’s legacy. “To love, enjoy, inspire, encourage, and positively impact those in my circle of influence.” It has taken a long time for my to string those words together in context of my life. I definitely could have saved myself a lot of time had I just thought, “what was Granny’s legacy?” This Sicilian girl lived a long and compelling life. Building a legacy through a lifetime of small moments of love, she was loved, adored, and remembered far beyond the years of her life.
Giving, Gaining, Compelling
Granny was not one to look for attention or glory. She lived modestly and humbly. She smiled often and relentlessly looked for ways to bring joy and happiness to those around her. The life she lived was a full life. Every day she made the choice to dedicate that day to the service of others. In return for those moments, day, and years of giving, she was blessed a full, purposeful, meaningful life. A life of significance, peace, joy, and satisfaction. Tal Ben-Shahar said, "every moment in life, we have a choice; moments add up to a lifetime, choices add up to a life." It is clear that Francis Mesina spent a lifetime making choices that build a life and legacy. For this reason, she left behind a remarkable legacy and lived a truly compelling life.
Enjoy this day.
