Friday evening I read a summary of Dana Perino’s book, “Everything Will Be Okay.” She offers advice for young women on how to pursue a successful career. One of her pieces of advice is, “Get a mentor.” She then talked about some of her mentors and then mentioned that one woman was a mentor for her whom she had not actually met. She was inspired by her example and followed her example in giving to others.

As I lay in bed Friday evening, I thought to myself, “Who would have been a mentor for me in my writing journey?” The first name that popped into my mind was Pearl. Pearl? Why I had not even begun writing when I met her and we never even talked about writing. Then I began to think about her life.

When I met Pearl, she was already in her seventies. She was sweet, shy and retiring. If you were in a crowd, Pearl would probably not speak in front of a a lot of people. She was the quiet one in the background. Again I asked myself, “Why Pearl?” And then memories of her came flooding back.

For decades, Pearl had written tracts with Bible verses on them. She started doing this years before the computer age. She would type them out, take them to a printer and then use them to reach others. Her daughter told me she remembered her mom taking her throughout the neighborhood sharing them with the people she met. She also remembers her sharing them with the homeless.

I remember Pearl going to our one and only mall in the small town I lived in. She would go there, sit and visit with people. She would share her faith and share her tracts. If they had a problem, I am sure she would pray for them. She continued to do this even into her eighties when she couldn’t drive. She would get a ride to the mall, stay there for several hours and then get a ride home. She must have impacted hundreds if not thousands of lives.

So why was Pearl a mentor for me? For starters, she began writing on her own. I’d bet money she never took a seminar or class on how to do it. She wrote what she wanted to say, took the initiative and had her work printed. She used her work to share the gospel with those that needed to hear it. Aside from raising her family, I believe this was probably Pearl’s life’s work. She continued doing this until she was no longer able. For me, she was an example of quiet courage.

When I started writing, I didn’t know any woman authors. I didn’t know any one who was doing what I was doing. As time went by, I met people who encouraged me, taught me and helped hone my skills. Eventually, I met authors and writers who were also following their calling and pursuing it. Each one mentored me in their own way, but it was Pearl who gave me the courage to strike out on my own and do what I felt called to do.

So thank you, Pearl. Although, you have gone to your reward. I want to say “Thank you for being such an example of quiet courage.” Your example gave me the courage to start and stay with my calling.

Image by M. Magge. Courtesy of Pixabay.