"Here's to you.."

  Whether a writer admits it or not, he or she loves to go back and look at his or her old papers and newspaper/magazine articles. Not only does it give writers an opportunity to re-live the past, it helps them see how they have personally grown as a writer. After thinking about this today, I had planned on dedicating this blog post to those who have contributed to my growth as a writer (this is where I give a shout out to Miss Clark, Mrs. Hamrick (Perry) and Mr. Covey), but this led me to another thought...

  Over the long, long Christmas break that Ohio University graciously bestows on it's students, I worked as a waitress. One particular evening, Christmas Eve in fact, I held a conversation with my boss that really made me think about things.

  In talking about Christmas movies, the 1946 classic, and my dad's all-time favorite, It's a Wonderful Life came up. 

  "You know, I like to think that my life is a lot like George Bailey's," my boss said. 

  So, after my usual sarcastic comment ("Oh no Dave, you want to jump off of a bridge!?") I asked him why. He proceeded to tell me that he believes that if one day he was in trouble, financially like George Bailey, or any other way, he knows that he has enough good people in his life that would help him out.

  Do you feel that way?

  If not, you'd be surprised. Think of how different your life would be if you plucked out one person, and I mean completely erased him or her from existence. Even if it was that annoying kid who sat behind you in math all four years of high school or a quiet, familiar face on the street or in the halls of your school, college, or workplace, things would be different. Each and every person, place, and event in your life, good or bad, has produced the outcome that is right now.

  Now reverse it.   What if that kid in math worked harder every day because he saw how successful you were doing? Or that quiet observer...she was actually your biggest fan. My boss has unknowingly turned multiple teens' lives around by simply giving them the gift of a job, and I like to think that somewhere in my life I've unknowingly helped somebody just like that. It really puts things in perspective.

"Strange, isn't it? Each man's life touches so many other lives. When he isn't around he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he?" 

So thanks, to each and every one of you. Without you, where would I be today?