Who made a difference in your life?
Have you made a difference in someone
else's life that you know of?
I give you 3 that made a difference in
my life. I will just use first names... to protect
the identity of these people. There are many
more who, by small acts have made a difference,
but these stand out.
First one, that I can think of.. is
Jo. She later married a good friend
of my parents. Making her an Aunt
of sorts. I call her Aunt Jo...
How did she make a difference?
When I was a teen, it was my job as
the only girl, to not only shine the silver,
(that is why I don't own any myself)..but
I also was the dishwasher. I washed them,
I dried them, and I put them away.
Jo came to Thanksgiving dinner with Herbie.
And when it came time to clear the table, Jo
offered, insisted and bucked my mother's denial
of services... and helped me with the dishes.
Teaching me, no matter how old you are.. you
can help a teen, even if the parent says you
don't need to. She is one of the kindness people
I know.
Next was a blood Aunt. Harriet....
She taught me unconditional love,
compassion, understanding that no
one is perfect. That you are never too
old to learn, even from a child or teen.
That everyone of your children are your
favorite child. In their own way.
All of this, not by telling me.. but by
example.
Next is a group of people. Cancer victims
that I have taken care of over the 17+ years
of being an aide.
They taught me courage, faith, hope, and
how to die with dignity.
Have I made a difference in other lives?
I have been told of 3, that I can remember.
Cindy, a sweet, smiling girl of about 9,
who was a joy to be around. I included
her with my kids when she was left with
me with her siblings by her parents to be
babysat. To have her grow up to be a strong
woman, a judge in Alaska, and sent me the
most heartfelt email, of how I made a difference
in her life. I cried.
Several aides who came up to me on my last
day of work, to tell me how I showed them in
our line of work, that you can take the extra
moment for the residents. How I showed by
example, you can find in the worse of days,
how to always treat the residents and staff
with dignity. I cried.
Angel, who told me as I was working out,
at the women's fitness place, that she
has kept going with her exercises because
she has seen me, with a smile on my face,
and still working out, never giving up.
I felt honored, and thought I was hanging in
there because of people like her, and her
infectious smile.
Who made a difference in your life?
How?
How did you make a difference in
someone's else life?
Your own children, don't count. That
is your job...with them.
On a Monday
22 hours ago
3 comments:
The one person who always sticks out in my mind is my old boss from 20 years ago, Cheryl. She was a go-getter and pro-women, period. She could run circles around any executive at IBM, Intel, Lockheed, etc. in the Silicon Valley in San Jose. Her vocabulary astounded me as well as her negotiation skills. I tracked her down and wrote her a letter this last year thanking her for what she meant to me.
...and I'm blessed that you touched me at the age of 9, your calmness & sincere love for us will always be remembered.
i'm in the seattle area now... and I plan on visiting you guys sometime this winter! :) cindy
Mr. Rose (Botany) and Mr. Harelson (History) come to mind. Both fabulous teachers with a true love of what they were teaching.
My parents, who have never ending faith in me and were the 'adopted' parents to many of my friends, and gave them a 'safe place' if they ever needed it.
Though I don't remember the event because I was 4; the man who pulled me out of the swimming pool when I was drowning, and the man who gave me CPR and saved my life.
Sarah, who was a friend when I needed one the most, and remained one for a long time.
My husband who believes I am beautiful and wonderful, and tells me this often.
As for lives I have touched.
Jenny, whom I befriended when she needed one. She remains one of my best friends.
The woman whose pocketbook I found at work one day, and made an effort to find her and return it intact. She even left a thank you note and $5 reward money.
The people who were stuck at a rest stop in MT that needed transmission fluid to get to a place to repair what was wrong. I convinced my husband to go to the nearest town that had services, get some (both kinds, since we couldn't remember the make) and drive the 30 minutes back.
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