I wonder if this one will be hard! Probably more hard to keep it to 10 people.
1. My mother. That one should be obvious. In case it’s not, or in case you don’t know my mother, I’ll go into greater detail. My mother is one of the strongest women I know. Growing up, I never felt like my mom didn’t want to be with me. I didn’t feel like she just wanted me or my sister to go to school so she could have a break. I didn’t get the impression that she went to work so she could get away from us. At the height of her own sadness, she still managed to get everything done that needed to be done. She and I are very much alike, so naturally we had times when we didn’t get along because we were too alike. The older I got, the more we made a transition from mother/daughter to friend. Believe me, I still know she is my mother, but I also feel kind of like we’re equals now. Whenever I do something, I always hear her voice in my head telling me whether not it’s a good idea or a bad idea. If I can’t hear it clearly enough, I’ll just call her. She’s going to Florida this week, and so I’m having some anxiety about not getting to talk to her very much. Not many people understand my relationship with my mom. We can talk five times a day, tell each other the same things over and over, and that still not be enough. I’ve spent a lot of my life trying to be like her. I don’t know if I’ll ever get there!
2. My Gramma Jones. Oh I loved that lady. She taught me that a good vocabulary is key, trying new foods is a whole lot of fun, bad taste in jewelry is unacceptable, and honesty is all in the eyes. She was one of my favorite people to talk to and she was always proud of me, even if she didn’t understand what I was doing. She hated the Dallas Cowboys which made me love them all the more. She gave me a passion for reading. We constantly shared books. She had more common sense, I think, than anyone I’d ever met. She was extremely opinionated and outspoken. She was also (despite the outspokenness) an extremely classy lady. Not a lot of women my age can be considered “ladies.” I hope that I can become more of a lady. She also had a great sense of humor. Even when she was sad. I wanted to go see her headstone this last weekend but a stupid snake got in my way!!
3. My Grampa Boyce. He’s a man of view words. I’ve never seen him really angry. (That I can remember.) He’s endlessly supportive and patient. I want to make him proud. I want to repay him the debt that I owe. He has taught me that I need to be kind to others and forgiving. Sometimes I don’t do those things well. He’s also taught me that sometimes it’s the little things that mean the most.
4. My preacher and his wife and their family. (I’m sure that doesn’t count as one person, but oh well. It’s my blog!) They have taught me a lot about forgiveness too. They have embraced me as a part of their family. More than that, they have embraced Andrew when a lot of others probably wouldn’t. Our whole church has. That’s forgiveness and love. Something that a lot of other people, who we used to consider closer to us, haven’t been able to do.
5. My sister. She’s a spitfire. She doesn’t take any crap (even from me), and she does what she wants, when she wants, how she wants. She’s going to make a great cop!
6. My step dad. He’s the kind of man other men should aim to be like. (Of course my Grampa and my dad dad are/were too!) He’s hard working, kind, forgiving, and loving. He’s the kind of Christian I want to be.
7. My husband. (Poor guy, at the bottom of the list again.) He’s spent 8 years trying to get me to open up about my feelings, and not minimize them. He (and his situation) have taught me about being forgiving and not judging others. He’s also helped me learn about unconditional love. Now, I’m finally opening up, but I’m a basket case and he’s not here to help me!! Ugh..
8. My Gramma Bonnie. She taught me the value of keeping myself entertained in other ways than television. At her house, you weren’t allowed to be bored. She’d put a crochet hook and some yarn in your hand and tell you to get to work. I wish I had taken the time to learn from her when I was younger. That and sewing, cause I can’t sew a straight stitch to save my life… When I’m stressed or sad, I pick up my yarn and needle and I can make something beautiful. Something beautiful almost always comes out of something terrible.
9. One of my professor friends. I won’t call her out here, because I’m not sure how she feels about it. Maybe she’ll read this and know who I’m talking about. She may not even know how much she has influenced my life. She has encouraged me to do so much over the last year. I don’t know that I would have gone out for my Master’s if she hadn’t told me that I would be good at it.
10. Last but not least, Aubree. She teaches me something new every day. She doesn’t worry, she isn’t bothered by the world and it’s ugliness. She depends on me. She is confident in me when I’m not. She’s made me a better person than I ever thought I could be.
In other news! I went to see Aubree on my lunch break today. When I walked into the room, she broke into the BIGGEST grin I’ve ever seen! She was so excited to see me! Talk about melt my heart! I love that kid so much!
Finally found where I belong! 