IN MEMORIAL

 

AMY HODGETT

"AMAZING AMY"

May 11, 1955 – August 6, 2008

Shortly after my dear friend and fellow GUTS gal Amy Hodgett died from complications from breast cancer, I visited Glacier National Park in the spectacular Montana Wilderness.  Despite my grief for the loss of a great woman, I experienced a feeling of gratitude in that park that was overwhelming to me. Being in that incredible place reminded me of Amy. I felt so privileged to be experiencing this awesome example of nature. 

That's similar to how I felt when I was with Amy. I felt so lucky to be able to be her friend, to get to know her.  There seemed never enough time to get together. So our monthly team meetings and occasional lunches had to suffice.  Our one-on-one coaching time, though, was very special.  I guess once someone is gone, maybe it always feels as if your time together was too short, but in the case of Amy, I always felt like I never got enough of her. Even when I was with her, I wanted more of her. What I mean is, like the majestic mountains in Montana, I was in awe of her. I was so amazed by her ability to be so at ease with her life. She seemed very determined to give her two teenage kids, Shannon and Jimmy, all that they needed and more, yet she didn't get frazzled by the whole single-parent-thing. She never let on that life could be tough, instead she made you feel as if she had time for you.  And she could look you in the eye and emit this sense, or a feeling, that she really cared. She had integrity. She was never trying to impress anyone.  The first time she came to my workshop back in November 2001, she was completely honest about having so many pictures, and she wanted to make albums for her two kids to preserve their special times together.

How could she know her time would be cut short on this earth?  I think she realized her work on this earth was to give Shannon and Jimmy those very special memories and to make sure they always knew just how important they were to her. She knew then that memories are all we have of the past, and like the glaciers in the grand old Glacier National Park, she knew we wouldn't always be around to tell the ones we love how much they matter. When she said "yes" to becoming a Creative Memories Consultant, she knew the work she'd be doing for her two kids, and for all of her CM clients, would be HUGE. And indeed it was. The work that she did for the city of Walnut Creek, the City of Concord, and all of her 9-5 jobs, and the work she did for every Creative Memories client she had, was big and bold like the Montana mountains. She always gave everything she did 150%. When she believed something was worth doing, she did it and she did it with passion, purpose, and power.

And just like the gentle breeze that is rolls across Swiftcurrent Lake in the Park, Amy's spirit is, and always will be, blowing softly through our lives. She loved deeply and her light was bright wherever she went. She meant no harm to anyone and she spoke to all as if they were equals.   I saw her love her kids in her eyes, every time her cell phone would go off in one of our team meetings. She would rush to answer, speak softly as to not disturb us, and end each conversation by calling one of them "Sweetie." Her love for them was endless and it will forever live in their hearts, in the hearts of all of us who knew her, and in each page of her photo albums.

The pages of those albums will be a compass for her children for what to do next, for where they should go, for how they can live your lives. She spoke in these pages to the qualities and values that she admired. Shannon and Jimmy can learn from them, can be guided by them. When they need Amy near them, they can open their albums and hear her voice. She says, "I love you," on every page.    

As I looked out onto the water, across the lake at Grinnell Point in the Park, a mountain that stands almost 8,000 feet tall, I thought of Amy. The mountain is a symbol of majestic beauty, strength, courage, and amazing spirit. So was Amy. That's why we called her Amazing Amy.

Amy's influence on my life will never end. She made me a better person just by being my friend. She made her kids strong, courageous, and bright. When I think of Amy, I stand a little taller, I shine my light a little brighter. Her spirit will live forever in my heart, just like the amazing mountains, in Glacier National Park, Montana.   

Donations can be made to the Shannon and Jimmy Parker College Fund, c/o Martin Hodgett (Amy's brother), 137 Heather Drive, Atherton, CA 94027.