Today

I wish that the internet was more useful. And that it had existed in 1922. And that people with interesting lives kept better records of them.

Gwen Lam died today.

I know, you have no idea who that is, and really, I don't know near as much as I would like to. Little bits of information passed along in conversation were all she ever told about her life, but from those little bits, we could all tell that there was so much more.

Like the part about being in the USO.

Or the part where she had a Master's in Journalism, and proceeded to write articles about getting feeding hungry children nutritional food in schools.

Or the part where she was Vice President of Glick and Lorwin.

I don't even know what Glick and Lorwin is.

The problem with the world is that if it isn't google-able, then we aren't really interested. And if people aren't interested, then it isn't google-able. It's a vicious cycle. When you google "Gwen Lam", which should come up with quite a bit, you don't get stuff about her. Just stuff about Gwen Stefani's new clothing line L.A.M.B. 

It's very disappointing.

But what I do know about Gwen is that she was incredible. When I was little I got a birthday card from her in the mail every year, when most people probably didn't even consider me old enough to really understand what a birthday card was for. I remember when my dad and I would go up to church on Wednesday nights so he could cook dinner for fellowship she would always be there early, and just sit and talk to me. She was always genuinely interested in us kids, and everyone in the church really. The youth group visited her a couple years ago, and she had at least three different kinds of cookies for us. Yeah, she had a clown collection that kinda creeped us out, but somehow, since they were hers, they weren't near as creepy. I remember going to a dinner party at her house when I was little. I don't remember much about it besides the fact that I was there and it was good. I was working in the church library a couple months ago and I found a book by her. It was a devotional for the elderly, and I was so surprised that this was the first I had ever heard of it.

Gwen lived a full life, there is no doubt, but I wish that there was more documentation of it. Maybe someone will find a journal of hers and we can learn something more about her.

Gwen, I hope you know how much you meant to all of us. Thank you for your life, and for your presence in mine.