When you throw a pebble into a lake the ripples from that tiny piece of stone go on and replicate the initial movement in the water. My friend Colleen Welsh died yesterday ,and her life was similar to the pebble in the water. There was little fanfare in her eighty two years, but quietly through her love and grace she changed so many lives. There were the children with handicapping conditions that experienced her patience and saw through her eyes that they had real worth. There were her colleagues and friends who whenever they encountered personal difficulties realized she was the first to show up. Never bursting in and requiring praise or credit, she was truly “a show up person.” I met Colleen forty three years ago, and she has enabled me to more fully understand the value of friendship. I will miss the daily phone call, and the little notes that come in the mail, but I realize that her life will continue to cause loving ripples through everyone that knew and loved her.