A Legacy

Last Thursday, I was running on the track at the school and noticed that the tree was gone from the Ryan's Rock memorial. This week I found out what happened to the tree and also learned that Ryan leaves a legacy.

Ryan and I road Big Yellow Limousine #9 together for several years. We would sit in the back and get bounced around as Mr. Eckert managed to hit every huge hole that the dirt roads had ot offer. Ryan was a great guy with a good nature. He was a great bus friend!

Eventually, though, Ryan became very sick. So sick that he no longer road the bus. Gosh, it is really amazing how fuzzy things seem from back then. Sadly, Ryan died in 1995.

However, Ryan's Rock and, until recently, tree stand as a steadfast reminder of Ryan.

This week, I was on the interview panel for the Youth Service Award. One of the candidates shared that she organized a fundraiser to replace the tree by Ryan's Rock.

Although it is sad that the tree fell during a recent storm. It was quite amazing to think that Ryan's spirit is still at work in a way that led this student (who would have been very young at the time of Ryan's death) to replace the tree. His legacy continues.