You might have looked at the title of this email and thought that I was getting ready to go all Jane Austen on you, but you'd be disappointed (well, I suppose that's a matter of opinion). At any rate, I'm not going to be summarizing the lives of Elizabeth Bennet & Mr. Darcy. Instead I'm going to talk about a character a little closer to my heart - my son, Noah.

Last week I attended his school's Veteran's Day Memorial Service. It was a touching little ceremony. The kids had made hearts to give the Veterans who were present as a way of saying "thank you" for their faithful service to our country. The elementary school chorus sang "America the Beautiful" (and it was beautiful), and some of the teachers had put together a powerful slide show of our military heroes, set to "Here's to the Heroes" by the Ten Tenors (yes, I cried). From there we traveled outside for the finishing touch. After a brief description by the principal of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, two students were to place a wreath at the foot of the flagpole as my precious son played Taps on his trumpet.

Taps

I don't mind telling you that my mama heart swelled up with pride as I watched him that day. I loved everything about it, from seeing how nervous he was (this was a BIG deal, and he wanted to be sure he got it right), to holding my breath as he hit each note. When he held the final note out long, I could barely stand it... I was SO proud of him. Maybe I'm prejudiced because he's mine, but I was blown away by his composure, and so happy to see that his hard work (HOURS practicing, y'all) had been rewarded with a performance that truly moved everyone listening. It was a beautiful tribute to our military men & women.

I'm not sure if you realize this, but our staff feels much the same way about you. We truly regard the people we insure as something to be proud of. When we read a nice article about you in the paper, or learn that you've received a promotion at work (the list could go on and on), we smile and realize once again how very fortunate we are to provide insurance for some of the best. We believe your hard work should be rewarded, which is why we strive to exceed your expectations when it comes to providing a comprehensive risk management program at a cost that makes "cents" to you.

So now that you know where some of my pride & prejudice lies... I'd love to hear what you're proud of! Shoot me an email or stop by our facebook page to leave your story. I'm really looking forward to hearing what makes you smile. 

Until next month,

Heather Clement

Mason & Mason Insurance