For Better Or Worse, They Changed Me...with images of friends

I saw this quote on http://pinterest.com/ today…it was posted by Halle Bush. I don’t know where she got it from!

This struck me in the heart, though. I think of the people who have passed through my life. My family, the great friends, the people I didn’t like, the students, and the people who just glanced through. All of them have some kind of impact on my life. All of them have helped make me the person I am today.

I think of my father – he passed away when I was still just a little girl. In the short time he was in my life, he taught me that there was nothing I couldn’t do – I just had to give it a try. Although he really wanted boys instead of girls, he made us girls tough and strong and invincible. He taught us that if we wanted something bad enough, we would fight for it.

I think of my grandfather – he was my dad’s dad and my best buddy. I was the only one of his dozen grandchildren that he went to the hospital to see at my birth…and we were inseparable from that moment until my father died eleven years later. He was my fishing buddy, my confidant, my hero for many years. He taught me to fish, to play poker, and to be me.

I think of my grandmother – my dad’s mom. She really disliked my mother and was the reason I did not get to see my grandfather after my father died. She didn’t think my mother was good enough for her son, and she didn’t think we were good enough to be her grandchildren. She taught me that it didn’t matter what other people thought of me – it only mattered what I thought of myself. She taught me that the possessions that belonged to my father didn’t mean as much as the great memories I had of my father. I didn’t need the possessions to remind me of what a wonderful, caring person that he was.

I think of my first best friend – Char. She taught me that I was the same as everyone else in my first, second and third grade classes – even though I had a disorder that made me different. She helped me learn that some people are mean and that is just the way they were. But there are enough good people in the world to make you forget the bad.

I think of my first teacher – Mrs. Sealy. She taught me that it was okay to be quiet and take in my world around me. She taught me to love to read and learning. She tried to teach me that I didn’t have to be shy – that I could speak my mind and she would be there to back me up.

I think of my fifth grade teacher – Mr. Wasinger. He taught me to love writing – and to love the power of words. He taught me to have fun while I learned and taught me that even big, strong, male teachers could cry when they read a gut-wrenching, tear-jerking book. He taught me that there were adults that would listen to children and stand behind them when the children were right and the adults were wrong. He taught me to love teachers who cared.

I think of my best friend through junior and high school. She taught me to have faith. Faith in God and faith in people. She taught me that people are good – even the ones that you don’t believe are good. She taught me to love reading the Bible and love learning God’s word. She taught me that a ride on a city bus to the library was better than a trip to any amusement park. She taught me that it was good to give to people who aren’t as lucky as I am.

I think of the young lady with cerebral palsy that I met at a skating rink. She taught me that it was fun to fight the ones in charge for something you thought was right. She was not allowed on the skating floor because she was a “liability.” She taught me to fight for her because she was a person who want to skate. She taught me to have compassion for those who were not as healthy as I was. She taught me to want to help others like her.

I think of the bullies in my junior high school. They took a gift that my best friend had given to me and played keep away with it. They taught me to be strong and stand up for myself and to let the little things go. They taught me that there were people in this world who just wanted to be mean.

I think of my ex-husband. He taught me that family was more important than anything –and that family could include friends who stuck by you when even your husband didn’t. He taught me to fight for my right to be myself – and he taught me that my children were the most important people in my life.

I think of my children – the two I gave birth to and the two I now have since I married their father. They taught me that there is hope for the future. They taught me that they will work hard and fight for what they think is right – even if I don’t agree with it or understand it. They taught me that I have a lot to learn.

I think of my husband. He taught me that there are still amazing men in the world. Men who care about their families and their children and their wives. Men who are honorable and want to do the right thing – even if they are sometimes unsure of what the right thing is. He taught me that I am strong and can fight for what I think is right – even when I feel weak and wrong. He taught me how to love again.

I think of my siblings. They taught me about family and how to stick together through all the good times and the bad. They taught me that when times are the toughest is when we are the strongest. They taught me that they could be my first and forever friends. They taught me that it was okay to be weak, because they would be strong for me when I needed them.

I think of my student. Those who taught me to be strong when all else in life tells you that you should fail. They have taught me that there is never a good excuse for quitting, because by quitting you can’t learn the lessons you need to learn. They taught me how to give unconditional love to whoever comes across your path…

I am thankful for all the people who have passed through my life. The ones who were there just for a brief second in time and those who have been with me throughout all of the good times and the bad. The ones who barely knew me, and those who know me better than I know myself. Because for better or worse, they changed me….