what lasts through the ages

"...can you pick one (beautiful thing) that will last longer than an unselfish act of service.

A rose or a violet is beautiful but how long will it keep its perfect form and color.

A tree is beautiful but eventually its heart will decay and it will fall to the ground.

A large well-proportioned building made of marble and granite is beautiful

but at last it will become a ruin.

A simple act of kindness will outlast them all;

will live on through the ages."

These are the opening lines of the graduation speech of Wynona Whitcomb,

first high school graduate of Forks, WA school system

granddaughter of pioneer Martha Maybury,

founder of Congregation Church in Forks, WA

source: 'Women to Reckon With: Untamed Women of the Olympic Peninsula'

by G. Peterson & G. Schaad

(the school is being demolished to make way for a new high school)