I get by with a Little Help from my FRIENDS!

The challenge in this journey is to identify who I will celebrate...and celebrate next! There are likely far more than 52 people I could celebrate this week alone, but that might be too easy. I committed to celebrating friends and family who have influenced, shaped and impacted my life. Interestingly enough, I believe that I am only recently becoming the person I think I've always hoped to be...becoming is the key word!
I have chosen certain friends to celebrate at specific times during the year for specific reasons - that is easy. It's the random celebration that is more difficult. Perhaps that will be (yet another) a gift in this journey - random...spontaneous...from the heart celebration. Perhaps this week I will start - not chronologically, not based on an event, but at a pivotal time in my life and in the lives of my family.
19 years ago my brother was diagnosed with Leukemia. This story will come to life later. However, during this time there was a group of people, now friends, who were instrumental in helping me to keep my sanity. These people, now in their 30s, were once my students early in my career. These students are now, I am fortunate to say, Friends.
Who knew teenagers were capable of teaching me...of giving so much without really even knowing? There were days I would show up at school, barely able to keep it together. They showed up too...with everything they had. They let me cry. They let me be human. For that, I am thankful.
The gifts have kept coming through the years - regular communication, invitations to weddings and graduations, baby announcements, and most especially the out-of-the-blue thank yous. The thank yous are what I celebrate the most - they are my bonuses always.
While I had the privilege of teaching many unique individuals during the time of my brother's diagnosis, transplant and early years of remission, there are many "kids" who are still a part of my life today. The challenge here I face here is creating the persona that would fit all of these special people...

I think this is a great mantra...be the bright light in someone's life...be someone's sunshine.., I vividly remember a conversation with a parent who told me that her daughter was afraid of me...right to my heart! That was an eye-opener! I had to change. I needed to be more "sunshine" and less "grey". My mission was to change. As a teacher, this was a valuable lesson. I am so thankful for my relationship with this beautiful person! Today she shares her gifts with others in so many ways. She still continues to teach me through all of her growing, writing and love.
I still smile at the memories of a cheeky young lady who excelled at teenage girl-isms. She taught me patience and humor, and forced me to find other ways to communicate. Today she is a successful graduate with a very giving career ahead of her. I carry this young lady with me in my career every day - memory of her hangs on my wall in every office I have had.
A couple of years after my brother's diagnosis, the gravity of it all really hit me. A feeling of loss of control, sadness, fear overwhelmed me. It was a student who recognized I was in "crisis" and pointed out that I was in distress. A student...a teenager....wise beyond her years. I am thankful, to this day, for that gift. I am thankful for the relationship we had that would inspire this teen to care that much.
I celebrate the laughter in my classes - reading Shakespeare "in character"...I celebrate the hard times - I need help... I messed up...I consider myself so fortunate to have been a part of the journey that others are taking.
I am honored to receive phone calls from afar, letting me know so many great things - I got a new job...I'm getting married...I graduated! I am saddened to hear about the challenges, but grateful to be a part of the conversation, and thrilled to learn of the subsequent triumphs - cancer, divorce, stress...all overcome by such strong character!
I celebrate the fact that these young people...now adults and friends...have made my life so much richer. I am reluctant to name names because I know I will forget someone equally important as the next. Thank you for letting me into your lives, your homes and your hearts. If you haven't heard it before... Thank you for all that you have given me!
Stril