15 character meme thingy

Over at Another Cup of Coffee, she posted a 15 character meme thingy for fictional characters. The guidelines are characters whose stories have stuck with you and who are fictional. You should list the first 15 characters that pop into your head.

I'm changing the guidelines to be any 15 characters, whether fictional or real. Here's my list:

1. Ruth, from the Bible. Her faith and devotion to her family and God have always stuck with me. Her story also challenges me to live fully for God.

2. Maria, from "The Sound of Music." Her love and devotion to the family also inspires me, though the movie is overly saccharine sweet. Oh well.

3. Dick van Dyke, especially in "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang." I admire the strong confidence he exudes at the end of the movie, and again his devotion to his family and working to better the future for his children gets to me.

4. Louisa Mae Alcott, author. Being a woman and a writer at a time when being both was not common, her courage and stick-to-it-iveness endears her to me. I wish I could be so strong.

5. Helen Keller, activist. Deaf, mute, woman, educated, activist. What more is there to say. Oh I know, optimist, fighter, overcomer, achiever, strong, dedicated, enthusiastic.

6. Laura Ingalls Wilder, author. Showed me it is okay to be a tom-boy, play with dolls, and like to write and want to be a teacher. Her family also moved around a lot, and that helped to normalize life for this army brat.

7. Harriet Tubman, activist and conductor. Not only did she lead many to freedom from the deep south during a time when that was against the law and could have gotten her killed, she was hard as nails about it too. She couldn't allow anyone to go back south after starting the journey because the route and information would be tortured out of her charges. Her rifle kept everyone safe and going north.

8. My mom, hero. My mom has battled with her health for a long time, yet she has a joyful spirit. She has raised four decent children, lived with the army life and all the joys and sorrows associated with it, and hasn't complained ... much. She is human, but also has shown me to be joyful in the face of adversity.

9. My g-ma, spiritual hero. G-ma has always been a safe, warm, loving, all powerful, God and Jesus loving woman for me. She has always been joyful, prayerful, caring about her family's life and afterlife, and has been generous with her knowledge of God, Jesus and the Bible. She is a spirit filled woman and I know she knows the Holy Spirit, but thinking on it just now ... I'm not sure I have heard her talk of the Holy Spirit. She has shown me God's love and is, for me, God's love.

10. Alaska, both reality and Robert Service's poems. I grew up for a few years in Alaska and learned to love Robert Service's depictions of the north land while there. I shared this love with my dad.

11. The Grey King series, The Grey King. A modern adaptation of the Aurthurian legends written for children. A precursor to the Harry Potter novels, by about 20 years. I read and reread these books during middle school. I never owned the series, but I checked them out from the library often. The story is set in Wales and I just fell in love with the books.

12. Morgana Le Fey, temptress/savior? The story of a lady who may be both a temptress and a savior, simultaneously. Her story hearkens back to Eve in the garden. Through Eve fall and hope are intertwined. Morgana has that same duality, only her time line is much more condensed. The paradox is what I find intriguing.

13. Agatha Christie, reveler of amazing stories of murder and mayhem. I simply love the characters she creates and the stories she tells us. Well, told us. Hercule Perroit, Miss Marple, and countless others all incite my "little gray cells" to notice the intricacies of human nature as I knit my own projects. :)

14. Elizabeth Zimmerman, knitter and thinker. She taught me, though long dead, to think for myself in knitting and use my own skills and knowledge to craft amazing projects. She also taught me to pay attention to colors in life for inspiration when knitting.

15. My best friend, amazing. She is generous, loving, caring, and dedicated to the common good and bettering the world for all of us. She is also Catholic and has inspired me to learn and pursue my spiritual quest.

Not all of these are who I thought might be on the list. But, devotion to family and common good can be found in most of the stories. Also, strength of character and optimism coupled with generosity are traits these characters share and that I am working on.