Lessons Learned From People Loved

I have been thinking recently about the people in my life who have affected me. Although every person we interact with has the potential to change our outlook forever, I felt compelled to note a few of the people who have been most influential.

My mother - My mother has always represented all things bright and beautiful to me. She taught me to consider not only what I say, but how I say it. Words are power-- the power to hurt and the power to heal. Revolutions are started with word. She always reminded me "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." Those are words I still struggle to live by today.

Bubba - My son taught me to never regret. His very birth was not at the opportune time or under the opportune circumstances. I wasted too much of my life regretting mistakes I'd made and resenting the people that led me to make those mistakes. That all changed one morning early in May of 2004. When I held that precious baby boy in my arms I knew that he was no mistake and nothing that led me to him could be a mistake. Regret was a wasted emotion. From that moment on I vowed to live and learn.

My father - My father was the first two-faced person I ever knew -- the first person who could smile at you while stabbing you on the back. Whether he ever loved me, I cannot say, but I learned from him that even those you love may not be trustworthy or deserving of your devotion. Love everyone but be wary of who you give your heart to.

Mr. Perfect - When my ex-husband and I finalized our divorce, we severed our ties to one another but it didn't end my feelings for him. Three years of marriage, manipulation, infidelity, and abuse had left me boiling over with hate. It was eating me alive and I headed down a path towards total self-destruction. It was only when I learned to let go of the hatred that I began to heal. As long as I hated him I would never be whole. I learned to wish him the best in his life and pray that no one will ever again control mine.