The Top Ten

David Letterman does not have the corner on Top Ten Lists!

The Top Ten

Long before David Letterman made ten things popular on his late night comedy show I developed a Top Ten List of my own. Does this put me ahead of my time? I fancy it may...

No one on my Top Ten list ever goes away. It’s gotten crowded up there.

The list began with my mother. She was always #1 on that list, no matter who was named. After she passed away someone asked me if she’d be off the list. NO WAY.

The people on this list are folks I admire. They are the people I’d most like to emulate when and if I ever grow up. They are good people with good hearts, good intentions, good ideas. They are the people who get things done no matter what. They have integrity, fortitude and goodness knows they have a fabulous sense of humor.

Here you will find names, along with a few of their attributes and accomplishments, on my Top Ten:

Harriet Pieper. She was smart, beautiful and strong willed. She turned cartwheels in the yard with me when I was a little girl; she sewed my clothes with skill and love and she was a business woman with acumen. Her sense of humor and passion for people was unparalleled.

Herman Pieper. He was a people person all the way. His experience in business school set him up to be a great salesman, super grocer and Mayor of a small town. He served on the school board. He had an amazing sense of humor, was smarter than any other 10 people combined and always always always did the right things for the right reasons.

Bonita London. This gracious woman was my English teacher in high school. She got me interested in public speaking. She was bright, well educated, a fabulous mother of 2 and it devastates me to think that she succumbed to Alzheimer’s Disease.

Oleta Hansen. This patient soul ministered to me when my life was bleak. She taught me more about massage therapy than I ever learned from books. She personified compassion, generosity and love.

Hannah Kroger. This tiny, feisty German lady wrote and self published a book about massage therapy and self care. She went to great lengths to teach people how to be well and how to help others. Her legacy of understanding the human body and spirit sits on my bookshelf. I refer to it often.

Mildred Konsella. With a reputation that stretched far and wide, this crotchety curmudgeon worked long hours to heal people’s ailments. It seemed to me that she acted cranky in order to cover up her real feelings of sadness and concern for others’ troubles. She was a true healer.

Angela Sidlo. My firstborn is one of the most beautiful, talented, creative humans I’ve ever known. She can do anything well, dreams big, and makes life happen her way. She has always been wise beyond her years and she amazes me with her abilities every day! I am honored that
she chose me for her mother.

Amy Daugherty This #2 daughter is someone who follows her heart and her dreams, too. She is determined, persistent, lovely and smart. Her sense of humor, sense of style, and passion for her work is wonderful. I am grateful to be Amy’s mother.

Michael Birdsong. This guy is the only Danish Cheyenne Indian I have ever known. I admire him for his zest for life, his persistence thru adversity and his love of others. He is compassionate beyond my understanding; he is a ‘connector’ of people and he is not judgmental! I am so thrilled that he and I found one another and I was allowed to adopt him.

Norman Baum. The Normanator is very much like my father was. He has the same sort of ideals, he treats people well and he can be The Boss, the Employee, The Organizer, or the Sympathizer...whatever need arises, he can fill that bill! His sense of humor is delightful and he never ceases to amaze me with his knowledge.

   So this is my Top Ten and I wanna be just like all of these people if I ever grow up, except for the curmudgeon part. Of course there are many others on that list but for purposes of brevity I have spared you a long, long list. 

 

   I wonder if any of my Ten made a Top Ten list?

Connie Baum