A very special lunch date!

On Monday I had the opportunity to finally come face to face with one of the most influential people of my past, my mentor and fifth grade teacher. Words cannot describe how wonderful it was to see her face and catch up after being apart for almost 15 years.

This particular woman proved to me just how important and life-altering it is to have a positive influence in your life when faced with adversity. Having that encouraging someone to count on likely makes the difference between a child following in their parents footsteps in that destructive path, ultimately continuing the cycle, or choosing to use their misfortune as a learning opportunity to better themselves and their future. Thanks to the positive influence that I had during those very challenging years I chose the latter and am stronger, wiser and better prepared for my future because of the trials that I faced.

While visiting we discussed how we came into each other’s lives and now looking back it strengthens my faith that God had a hand in the placement of her in my journey. She was in fact my fifth grade teacher but she was not the teacher I was originally given. I was assigned to another teacher and then Mrs. Webb was hired on to work at my elementary school a month after school began. Several students from every fifth grade teacher were moved to join her class and by the grace of God I was one of those few students that were picked. What is even more peculiar is that Mrs. Webb only taught fifth grade for two years in her entire career as a teacher, she instead preferred to teach kindergarten and first grade; what are the chances that I was lucky enough to get her for one of those two years? Looking back it seems nothing short of a miracle.

Mrs. Webb: I want to take a moment to sincerely thank you for teaching me to believe in my potential; for proving to me that the sky is the limit when a dream is backed with heart, determination and perseverance; for continuing to show me now in adulthood what unconditional love for another person truly means; for promising to be a life-long friend and confidant for the foreseeable future; and most importantly for still encouraging me set goals and for helping me reach them. I will never truly be able to thank you enough for the difference that you have made in my life. My promise to you though is that I will use the tools that you have instilled in me to impact another child’s life. You have proven to me that simply being a cheerleader for a child can make a vast difference in their future. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for helping me see my potential and for encouraging me to never give up on it.