Who Inspires Me?

I have written in the past about some of the people I am about to mention but thought it was worth thinking more about. So here’s my list of people that truly inspire me and why. I’m not talking about people like Tiger Woods or any other celebrities but really about day to day people that have made a real difference in my life and in my perspective. This list is also not in any particular order.

My Wife:

This is one special lady. She has an innate ability to look at me and make me laugh or run. (mostly laugh) She has had her share of battles in life, not the least of which is cancer. She has faced every battle head on and with honesty and dignity and I want to model myself and my ability to face any adversity after the love of my life. This woman has been there to be a very integral part of my daughter’s life and success and for that I will be forever grateful.

My Dad:

There is no single man on this planet that I admire more or want to model myself after. He has not always had things easy but he never wavered about his most important thing in life; his family. It could have been easy to just abandon his family when things were at their lowest point but that is something he would never do. He did his very best to keep the family together and to provide for everyone to his fullest. This man has left his mark on me for my lifetime and I think also has left his mark on the world as well. It’s all I could hope for in my life.

My Priest:

We all have people in our lives that tend to influence us to be the best we can be. This man has been one of those influences to me. My life has not been without mistakes as I expect most of us could say, but there has always been one man I could turn to and trust for the right words and direction. He is the most complete man of God I’ve ever known. His faith has always come first in his life and he no only talks the talk but he really does indeed walk the walk. I can only hope to continue to develop my faith and model myself after this man.

My little girl:

One of my regrets is not following through with my schooling and becoming a music teacher. I have always been envious of the people that seem to do things all the right way when it comes to their life’s dreams and she is right on track in that regard. She is a gifted teacher and is more faithful a person at 22 than anyone I have ever known. I admire her as a person and admire that she is using her gifts to make a better world.




My Step Son :

Here is a guy who has been almost literally to Hell and back. He is not without his faults as are the rest of us but what I admire in him is his incredible ability to fight through some pretty significant obstacles which might bring mere mortals as me to my knees. He has the biggest heart of anyone I have known. He will do whatever he can for anyone he can with little regard to the impact it will have on him. I want to pull from that mindset and try to be a better person in that way.

My Boss:

Yes my boss. This is a man who has always been very loyal to his employees and has even put the company before his own needs many times. He is extremely passionate about the profession and about being successful in it. I have always admired that passion in any person. Successful entrepreneurs all have that one thing in common; passion. When it comes to raw knowledge about my profession, he has forgotten more than I think I’ll ever know.

My Cousin from Delaware:

This will come as a bit of a surprise to him but I admire the person he is and I definitely admire the writer he has become. I try to improve in expressing myself through my writing and I have him to thank for nudging me on. He is a gifted writer of many forms and I envy that gift and wish I had a more broad ability to write as he does. One of my goals is to become more adept at expressing my feelings in different types of writing and I have him to thank for giving me that goal.

Both my Sons in Florida:

They have not had an easy road to hoe but I am very proud of them both for making good lives for themselves and having beautiful wives to share their lives with. I am also very proud to be a Grandpa and a Grandpa to be due to each of them. The old saying about taking lemons and making lemonade applies here. With the help of their loving mother and supporting families they are both sons to be proud of and to admire and to inspire.

There are others but these people tend to be an important focus of my life both past and present. Each of them brings different gifts and inspires me in different ways but each also fulfills my life. I owe a lot about who I am to each of these people and I can only hope to take from each of them all the things I admire and want most to achieve.