This week I got the opportunity to sit down and meet with someone from my past who I hadn’t seen in 25 years. This person was a beloved high school teacher who, by nature of his passion and dedication to writing and teaching, was someone I was honored to acknowledge in my book as an inspiration. It’s almost surreal to sit down and catch up after 25 years, but it was an experience that made me humble and grateful to remember someone who has touched my life, even many years later.
People come and go out of our lives for many reasons. Sometimes we may not ever remember they were there in the first place. But for those who touched our lives in a meaningful way, that shaped part of who we are and how we see ourselves, there will always be a part of our heart that is touched by their kindness and inspiration. And it’s that memory that can go a long way in helping someone realize that they can see in themselves what others see in them and be inspired to do great things because of it.
Sometimes those people encouraging us may be ones we haven’t spoken to in years. But the memory of our time with them is enough to help keep putting one foot in front of the other and move forward. That’s the power of human relationships… often they transcend time.
In whatever time we have with the people in our lives, there is always the opportunity to be someone special that a person might remember many years later with fondness. In the expansive darkness that often colors our world, sometimes we must supply our own bright light… and if we are lucky, we will get to share that light with others who need it too. And if we are really lucky, they might just remember that kindness many years later when they really need it. It’s never too late to remember those who’ve inspired and helped us on whatever journey we’ve been on.
Elizabeth Banak Books 