I have been blessed. One of the greatest gifts I have been given throughout my life is friends. Not just friends, but strong, beautiful, ambitious individuals who have really truly impacted who I am, the decisions I have made, and what I have ultimately been able to accomplish thus far in my life. I wouldn't even know where to start but I do have a few of these people on my mind today...would you like to meet them?
My dearest friends are those I am related to. I have been blessed with the most amazing parents, siblings, sibling's spouses and nieces and nephews. I would rather spend a day with one of these people than almost any one else in the world...any one of them. I feel so grateful for them . All you have to do is look at the people around you to understand the impact family can have. Your life, soul, and very being start in the family. I adore mine.
I have also been blessed with a tremendous "in-law" family. From the moment I entered their lives, they have been supportive, compassionate and have truly helped shaped my own marriage and family. I am so grateful for my dear relationships with them. They are inspiring and fun and wonderful!
I would like to pay tribute to my childhood friends. One of my best friends was my 3rd grade teacher, Mrs. Betsy Wheeler. I wish this woman knew the impact she has had on my life. At a time when I felt physically ugly and large, socially awkward, and unsure of my place in things, she made me feel truly beautiful. She saw so many things in me that I didn't see in myself and even at the age of 8, gave me the courage to develop my talents. She recognized my love of writing and let me write books for the library at the school. She saw my love of teaching and let me teach handwriting lessons to the class every week. She encouraged me to try out for the school play where I played the Queen of Hearts and fell in love with drama. Mrs. Wheeler saved worksheets and books for me that I could take home and use in my own "school". She adored me, loved me, and inspired me. For the next 6 years, every time I played school I would wear my flowy skirt and high heels and call myself "Mrs. Wheeler". She was amazing and I have thought about the influence she has had on my life so many times...especially as I stood in front of my first "real" class as a "real" teacher for the first time. I wish I knew where she was so I could tell her how wonderful I still think she is.
I will forever be grateful to the friends that made junior high and high school the best of years and helped me be prepare for becoming a young adult. These friends were so strong and smart and ambitious and determined and funny and wonderful. Chandra, Liz, Katy, Lisa, Michelle, Carla, etc. etc. Thank you for making such good choices and taking me along with you! To this day, I stand in awe of what they have overcome and accomplished in their lives. I was never once disappointed or hurt by these friends. Can you imagine being able to say that about high school friends??? I am also extremely grateful for my first "boyfriend". He and I shared such a deep, amazing friendship that over time developed into something a little more but was always rooted in this genuine love and respect for each other. He also made me feel so beautiful and capable. He was the most genuine, sincere person and treated me so well. We shared high school, first year of college, and 2 missions together. Can you believe he wrote me every single week of his mission??? He continues to be a strong individual, husband and father and I am proud of the choices he has made in his life. I don't know where he is right now but I hope he appreciates the positive influence he had on me and the gift he gave me of respect, kindness, and hope. We had such a positive, healthy relationship that it set a permanent standard for the kind of people I would date and I can honestly say that I have only had positive experiences (for the most part) in dating. Absolutely no regrets! What a gift!!
I am grateful for a group of women in Boston, MA who befriended me at a time in my life when I was at a real crossroads. They were a different age than I was, a different place in their lives than I was but those choices they had made and their friendship helped me make some decisions that have had an eternal impact on me. I look back on that time period as one filled with these women of different backgrounds, talents, ambitions, etc. and I am filled with respect for their lives. Although I haven't seen many of them in years, I still think of them with great respect and appreciation.
And then there are 2 of the greatest friends of my life. Michelle and Jenni were with me through the end of college, the beginning of my professional life, dating, marriage, having and raising children and continue to be a source of inspiration and strength. We have been through so, so much together. I don't really think of them as friends as much as I do sisters. We have stressed together, shopped together, travelled together, laughed, cried, raged, planned, plotted, giggled, been through ups and downs and the place they hold in my heart never changes. Every time I see one of them or talk to them, it is a thrill! I love and adore them and honor the places they are in their lives. They have fought hard, overcome enormous obstacles and always remained steadfast. I truly love them.
And last but certainly, certainly not least comes my sisters in what I will affectionately call "The Group of The Man Leg". These are the women who truly occupy a significant part of my soul right now. I don't see them near as often as I would like, I don't always even get to talk to them as much as I want, but I rejoice in the long evenings every other month where we eat, laugh, hug, discuss, cry, and draw off each other's strengths. Oh, if every woman had these women in their lives. We are certainly diverse in our lives, families, challenges, viewpoints, dreams and book choices but somehow that diversity has created a strong thread that binds us together. I am so grateful for each and every one of them and continue to stand in awe of all they are doing and achieving. To be inspired in such a way is no small thing. I do not take them for granted nor the influence each of them have had individually in my life.
A person truly is a composition of all that surrounds them. To meet a single individual is to meet a whole host of people and experiences that can be thrilling and joyful or devastating and sad. Don't ever underestimate your influence. A single contact with one person can change a life. Just ask the people who have changed me...
