Famous Quotes on Fame

I'm a day late today. Yesterday was my anniversary. Darrell and I have been married umpteen years. I remember noting the anniversary where I'd been married half my life and then the one two-thirds. Now I'm heading toward the three-fourths but that's still a ways down the road. It's hard to realize so many years have gone by since we stood up before a preacher with trembling knees and promised "till death do us part." Good years. Busy years. And we have such a beautiful family. So many blessings.

But I'll talk more about blessings and thanksgiving next week. This week I'm still zeroed in on that "Are you famous?" question the young man asked me at the Book Fair last Saturday. I decided this week that my best answer to him would have been if you have to ask somebody if they're famous then they probably aren't.

But his question still has me thinking about fame. What is fame? And why do so many people seek after it? I went out quote hunting to see what other people have said about fame and found out a lot of people have a lot to say about fame. So here are some of my gleanings.

• You're not famous until my mother has heard of you. - Jay Leno
• I never wanted to be famous: I only wanted to be great. - Ray Charles
• A celebrity is a person who works hard all his life to become well known, then wears dark glasses to avoid being recognized. - Fred Allen
• Fame is a vapor, popularity an accident, and riches take wing. Only one thing endures and that is character. - Horace Greeley
• Don't confuse fame with success. Madonna is one; Helen Keller the other. - Erma Bombeck
• Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful. - John Wooden

And you know what? The best place to be "famous" - that is to be loved and appreciated is in your own family. And we're all well known by God. So make sure you're building your fame in the places that matter most.

Till next time. Hope you have a great Thanksgiving next week.