When this Chalkboard project is all said and done, it won’t just be a collection of quotes and scribbles. It will be a map. A record of where John Shepley stood when life threw him a curveball and how he carried the weight.
One day... George, Fritz, and Hazel will look back and see the path... every climb, every stumble, every hard day survived will be written right here in chalk.
Generations before us had photo albums, letters, and stories passed around the dining room table. We have smartphone cameras and blogs. The ShepKids are the first generation to inherit a living timeline. A chance to scroll through their family’s story and see the fingerprints in real time. This board isn’t just about weather reports or moon phases; it’s proof that we were here, we stood our ground, we watched our shadows, we gazed at the stars, we witnessed time together and we kept moving.
Life will never be easy and you don’t want it to be. If life feels easy, it means something is wrong. Struggle shapes you, pressure sharpens you and the storms don't ask for permission.
The mark that you leave behind isn’t about the size of the load. It is about the way you shoulder it, the way you stand back up, the way you keep walking even when wind across the Chicago River bridge cuts you sideways.
Resilience
Dignity
Character.
That is the inheritance.
When the ShepKids read the Morning Chalkboard years from now, I hope they understand one thing:
Legacy isn’t built by what you bear. It’s built by how you bear it…
... and who is watching when you do.
