“Juxtaposition…
the fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effects”
Hi all,
This past week and this coming week, I have the honor and the challenge of talking with young people about The Anne Saxelby Legacy Fund… https://www.annesaxelbylegacyfund.org/
It is an honor to share the story of our beautiful, strong, creative daughter. Her story, and the difference she made in this world are inspiring and compelling.
After Anne died, and every time I write that phrase it is still unreal and odd to me… Patrick, Anne’s husband and I started The Anne Saxelby Legacy Fund https://www.annesaxelbylegacyfund.org/ as a way to continue her mission and share her passion about not just cheese, farmers and markets, but about how one person can be the catalyst for great change.
The goal of Anne’s Legacy is to provide opportunities for young people to find their passion, see the world in a new and different way, understand where their food comes from, and hopefully, see a new vision for themselves and what they can do with their lives.
And… here is the juxtaposition…
Each time I speak with and to these groups of young people, I am also doing so because Anne is no longer here to tell her story.
While I am speaking, I am eager and hopeful that what we do and are building with her fund will resonate. That her life and her choices, and her accomplishments will lead to other young people pursuing their passions. Building new opportunities for themselves, and for the communities they go back to, or choose to live in.
To make a difference…
Each time I speak with some curious and invested young person I am filled with the sense of Anne standing right next to me, smiling and cheering me/us on. By us, I mean the entire Legacy Fund organization.
It is exhilarating and exhausting at the same time.
Exhilarating because I hope to ignite a spark… encourage someone to think outside the box, to consider a new path, and take the opportunity to see what can happen when they take a chance.
Exhausting because I have to acknowledge again, and again, that Anne is no longer here to do this herself.
So, as I continue, and the work of her Legacy Fund continues, as we, the collective group of people involved, farmers, chefs, and businesses who say “Yes” to this cause honor her and make her proud through how we choose to keep her spirit and passion alive, this juxtaposition will continue…
“The fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect”
We, all of us in the Fund, and the people who love you, will continue to tell your story.
What you did, Anne, “ who you were, how you lived mattered… and it will continue to through the lives of other young people who carry your Legacy on.
Love… pain… a juxtaposition…
Thanks for reading,
Pam