Who Is She?
By Kathi Macias
One of my rudest awakenings came as a result of meeting Rosey Grier, famous for being one of the bodyguards who captured Sirhan Sirhan immediately after Senator Robert Kennedy was shot, as well as having been one of the “Fearsome Foursome” football greats—the only one, so far as I know, who also enjoyed doing needlepoint.
It all started when a publisher called me and said, “If you’re free for lunch tomorrow, I’d like you to join me and Rosey Grier to discuss the two of you doing a book together.”
Now I’ll admit that Rosey’s football days were slightly before my time, but not so much that I didn’t recognize his name. Intrigued, I quickly agreed, then called my oldest son, Al, the most avid football fan of all time.
“You’ll never guess who I’m having lunch with tomorrow.”“ Who?” he asked, stifling a yawn. “Rosey Grier”, I said, and then waited expectantly. “Who is she?”
For the first time the term “generation gap” hit me between the eyes with the force of a meat cleaver. I opened my mouth to explain, and then closed it again. The impact would obviously be lost in the translation.
Rosey and I wrote the book, and I couldn’t wait for the first book-signing. Of course, I’d had book-signings before, but this was different. People actually came to this one—in droves! By the time we arrived at the venue, people were lined up around the block.
Rosey and I sat behind a table, pens in hand and a mound of books in front of us. When the doors opened and the stampede began, it was scary. Rosey was first at the table, and he signed as he greeted people, and then passed the books to me so I too could sign. No one seemed interested in my signature. Once they had his, they snatched up their books and headed for the door.
It got worse. Winning was nominated for an Angel Award from Excellence in Media, no small honor in the publishing world. The event was complete with black ties, stretched limos, and paparazzi galore. When the winners for our particular category were announced and our book was among them, we quickly made our way to the stage. I was pleased that I managed the walk without tripping or doing anything else clutzy—and then they announced our names: “Rosey Grier and Linda Holland.”
Huh?
Then I realized what had happened. Linda Holland was the publisher’s representative who had submitted our book for nomination, and she had somehow been listed as Rosey’s co-author. I had to make a choice: compound the problem (and my embarrassment) by making the correction over the microphone—or accepting my angel and returning to my seat as Linda Holland. I opted for the latter. After all, almost no one in the audience knew or cared if my name was Kathi or Linda, nor would they remember the incident after it was over. I, however, would remember it for a very long time.
The incident gave me an entirely new perspective on my son’s comment about Rosey Grier: Who is she? And I began to really understand that it didn’t matter if people got my name wrong or didn’t even know what it was. God knew—and He cared. When all the autographing parties and award ceremonies had passed and only our service to our Lord remained, what would matter then?
Humbled and encouraged, I decided life was just too exciting to live it on the sidelines—whether anyone knows your name or not.
***Adapted from HOW CAN I RUN A TIGHT SHIP WHEN I’M SURROUNDED BY LOOSE CANNONS? PROVERBS 31 DISCOVERIES FOR YIELDING TO THE MASTER OF THE SEAS by Kathi Macias (New Hope Publishers, February 2009). www.kathimacias.com
