Who You Are Makes A Difference

I received one of those emails that tells a class story about who makes a difference and the experiment that followed. It made me want to take a minute and acknowledge a few people in my life and why they make a difference....

For Hubs...who you are makes a difference. Your presence in my life makes it all make sense. I want to spend every day of the rest of my life with you. You help me to be a better person. You help me be more compassionate to those that did not grow up with a normal childhood...yet expect only the best from life. You are an amazing parent and love all your girls to distraction. You make us feel safe and loved. Every day we are together in life is a gift.

Rena Ray. I love you. You took in a very broken and confused teen and became a best friend. You are amazing. And I have to tell you that I am very sorry for being such a pain when you were trying to date Ralph. I was jealous because he was a great guy...and I was less than a great best friend. He scared me. Apologies friend. And on that same wave-length....I am still broken hearted over your loss of Michael. He was perfect for you. You should never have been a widow at such a young age. You are an AMAZING person and deserved that happiness. I don't understand it, and morn your loss still, years later. You deserved that kind of happiness so much more than I did. I love you friend. You have made a huge difference in my life.

Amazing Tricia. Where do I even begin? Your faith in God astounds me. You have faced challenge after challenge and still clung to our Lord. Your faith is an inspiration to me. You also make me realize just how blessed I am...day after day. Your friendship came at the perfect time in my life and I love your girls like my own. I ache to protect you from the hurt and challenges you face daily. As it is, I can only listen and love. You make an incredible difference in my life and in my walk. Next to my husband, you are the only other person that I wish I could see every day of my life.

Songbird. My daughter. I love you to distraction. You have become an amazing young woman. I am proud of you. You have an amazing heart. Although we are always on you about your relationship with your sister, we believe you are a great big sister. I am happy to be your mom. You give me joy daily. I can't wait to see what life has in store for you. Hang on to God and grow.

Claire. My friend, you cannot possibly know how much you have affected my life. You taught me so much. I am no longer skeptical of the beautiful people. You taught me what pursuing God daily looks like. Your prayers are amazing. You have blessed me in many ways that I can not even put down here. I miss you much.

Kylie. What an incredible blessing you have been in my life. You are an amazing mother that I learn from still. Your passion for your children and their hearts for God is amazing. And your husband as a youth pastor has touched our life deeply. Your children are amazing and such a joy. Your defeat of your fears has been a miracle to behold and an example in my life. I miss you so very much! We really didn't spend all that much time together...yet you have influenced my life greatly.

To my sister-in-law Sara. You are amazing. You have a gentle spirit that draws people. You love based on your own experiences. I don't think I have ever met a better person. We have very little contact, but each and every one is a joy. All the best to you kid. I am honored to be related to you.

To Celicia....my mentor. Without you I would have never grown in Christ. There is no way to measure the importance of that. I love you and your whole family and all the things I learned just by being around you. I don't know that you will ever know the full impact you had on my life...but I thank God for you and your children. What an awesome family.

To my un-named sister-in-law, that I miss desperately. Your absence left a very large hole in my life. Six years later I still morn like it was yesterday. I ache for our destroyed friendship. I miss your kids so much it leaves a hole in my life. I also need to thank you. Because of the circumstances that were, your brother learned that he could love someone else's kids as much as his own. Because of you, I have Mighty Mouse....one of the most amazing blessings in my life. I still miss you and think of you daily. I hope you are doing well.

To Darlene. I miss you friend. You probably will convince yourself that I'm not talking about YOU. I am. I love being able to just hang out on the porch. I love that we can play games or just sit around and read books....and its enough. I wish I could help with your challenges...and hope that being a listening ear is help in some way. I really enjoy the time we spend together.

To my mother: I could not have asked for a better mom. You are first rate. I don't even know how to expand on that. I love you. You are also the most amazing grandma....I hope I do as well for my grandchildren.

There are many more I could write about. These are the ones that I just HAD to acknowledge today. All of you have made a huge difference in my life in some way. I love you all!