You see it on TV all the time. A player looks into the camera and says, “Hi Mom!”
What makes you…you? In other words, what makes you who you are? How many people, how many influences have shaped you? Certainly, we have all encountered situations in our lives that have influenced our character, our behavior and our ability to adapt. Many of us eventually start to take on the same traits as our parents, those most responsible for shaping each of us. For many of us, no greater compliment could be given…. To be like Mom/Dad.
If Mom and Dad were known as hard working, dependable and trustworthy, it is very likely the children too will have the same character traits. There is nothing in the world more valuable to a child when Mom hears the “title” of ALWAYS THERE! No matter what comes down the road, no matter what life throws their way, they never waiver, they never shirk their responsibility. They may not say it, but the creed they live by is clear, “my family is 1st, there are no exceptions!”
Talk is cheap. How will they react when the “chips are down?” Real character is proven when times are tough. We’ve all heard these at one time or another. No question about either of these sayings, they are the truth. Real character is proven when times are tough. We all would like to think that when duty calls, you can count on me. Tough decisions call for real character.
This particular Mom not only fits the ALWAYS THERE category but goes way beyond what would be considered normal expectations. She was faced with a husband who fell ill with a terrible disease called P.I.X.S. (an aggressive form of Alzheimer’s) . It did not take long for Hubert to be bed-ridden. The care necessary was way beyond what most people could handle by themselves. Most thought the time had come for Hubert to be placed in a nursing home and Shirley simply said, “No way, not going to happen as long as I can care for him.”
Amazingly, Shirley Casperson did this every day for 10 years and never complained, not one time. Does this woman have character? Unmatched is the word that comes to mind. A “stick with it” mentality somehow doesn’t seem to say enough when attempting to describe what it would take to match this type of love. Vows must have meant something to Shirley. Her word is obviously as solid as granite.
You know the old saying, “the fruit doesn’t fall too far from the tree.” Don’t take my word for it, go ahead and ask someone who has worked with or knows Tom Casperson personally to see if he is made of the same “stuff.” I am absolutely certain you will hear words like integrity, character, hard working, dependable, fair, and ALWAYS THERE when you need him. Sound like a candidate you can support? Vote Tom Casperson for Congress on November 4th.
Respectively Submitted,
Dick and Connie Kleinhardt
Clare, Michigan