An inspiration: RIP Joe Garagiola

In another life, I graduated from college, and this baseball player/broadcaster/general good guy came and spoke at our university at commencement.

It was a time when unemployment for new college graduates was high. How high? High enough that employers were picky and paid you a pittance unless your degree was in demand.

I remember things from that day that don't seem important: goofing off, taking a picture with my favorite professor, watching pigeons fly into the arena (unplanned!), hanging out with my husband and my best friend. My dad couldn't make it to the graduation--he attended one of the other graduation events earlier that week--because he nearly died the month before.

To me, graduation was a victory, even though the reward--a full-time job in my specialty--was still more than a year away, after five years of undergrad work.

When Joe spoke, he told stories, of his life, baseball and left us with many words of wisdom. The ones I'll never forget were these:

"Don't take a 'no' from someone who can give you a 'yes'."

As I finally got a job, and made a career, I learned that maxim, and many other things he mentioned, were absolutely correct.

I never saw Joe in person after that day, but many years later, I got to thank him when I called into a radio show. I had been driving down the road, heard it, and called the question line.

He was kind, appreciative, and thanked me for paying attention. The radio host, too, was surprised. However, for a guy like him, it was just taking care of the folks coming up. Because that's what you do. You share the gifts you are given. Joe did that wherever he went.

And you never forget where you came from, where you were just a regular kid down the block.

RIP Joe. Godspeed and say hello to the rest of the folks you and I know for me.