Lessons and Growth

I'm feeling pensive this afternoon. I'm sure that none of the following with come out like I want it to. It never works out that way. From time to time I think back about people in my life who have impacted me. People that aren't family members, parents siblings, grandparents. I feel like those individuals are obvious. It's no surprise that from my mother I've learned patience and creativity. Or that from my father I've learned what unconditional love is and grown a passion for music. These are a given.

The unique examples are people that I've known through my life that are not related by blood. I'm sure everyone has people that fit this mold in their own journey's.

For example, my friend Katie introduced me to dance, not formal ballet, but just for the fun of it, windows rolled down dancing-in-the-car type of dance.

I remember once someone introducing me to mountains. It was long after I'd first visited them but for the first time I was really being shown their powerful presence. That was a good day.

These are the types of memories that I cherish

I remember reading a bedtime story to a little girl nearly 10 years ago. Giving her a light kiss on the forehead and thinking "this is perfection". She's grown now, but she taught me to find peace in a nightly routine. I remember yelling at a young boy for being disobedient, bringing myself nearly to tears because of my lack of patience for his shenanigans. This was a long time ago but that experience and the handful like them that followed taught me self control when dealing with a determined youthful resilience. And I remember watching a teenager that thought she was ready to be grown when in reality she still had so much growing to do. I remember leaving that day reminding myself how being young isn't a bad thing. In fact it's a blessing. It's a gift that we only get for a few short years, and then it's over. We become adults, responsible for other people, responsible for ourselves. We have to make decisions about things we know nothing about. We have to behave acceptably and say the right things. Yes, youth in a gift. One that should be encouraged to retain as long as possible.

These lessons and so many like them are ones that have molded me into the wife, mother, professional and woman that I am.

To all those that have shaped me, I hope you know who you are, and I thank you. Without your lessons, I would be a mess.