At 19 years old, it is impossible to say that I have lived a very full life. I have experienced high school and a little bit of college, but I haven't really done much yet. But despite my short, uneventful life, I have met many of people who have touched my life in a number of ways. Most of the people, they were only in my life for a short season, whereas others have stayed with me for many years. It is cliche to say that I would not be who I am without the people I have met, but it's true. So here is a thank you to the people I have met in my life.
Thank you to my family...
Obviously without my parents, I wouldn't be here, but without them I wouldn't be the young woman I am today. My family, both immediate and extended, has supported me through everything in my life and I cannot thank them enough. Thank you for the love and support of the past nineteen years, and thank you for the love that you will continue to give me in the future. My hopes and dreams have changed day in and day out, but you have still helped me reach those hopes and dreams no matter how silly they may be. You have dealt with all of my craziness, my moodiness, my attitudes, and my drama queen moments, and I can't thank you enough for it. Without your love and, I don't know who I would be, so thank you for standing by me and helping me through life. I hold more love for you than you could ever know.
Thank you to my teachers...
Thank you for devoting your life to helping students. Thank you for helping me develop my love of learning and my desire for knowledge. It is because of all of you that I am in college; every one of you truly cared for your students and wanted to help them succeed. Rather than drill into my mind that I needed to go to college to be successful, you encouraged me to do what I wanted in my life. You showed me multiple paths that my future could take, and helped me decide which one I wanted to take. You encouraged me to take up an instrument, sing choir, attempt soccer, but also encouraged me to simply love learning when I realized that none of those made me happy or satisfied me. So thank you for the extra effort you put towards me to provide me with an education and helping me value my education and desire to know more.
Thank you to my old friends...
I cannot count the number of friends that I have made and lost over the years, but all of them have made a significant impact on my life. Each friend is different in their own way, and each impacted my life. Because of my many gains and losses of friends, I have become a more "go with the flow" person, and I have learned to value my friendships, no matter how big or small. Many of you I am Facebook friends with so I am able to see where life has taken you, which is always interesting to watch, and while many of you may not really remember who I am, I am still wishing you all the best. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to make new friends, and to learn how to lose them; thank you for your friendship and teaching me to how to be a friend.
Thank you to my past loves...
Like every girl, I have loved and lost time and time again, as I should have at this point in my life. Many of you have broken my heart, and many of you have had your heart broken by me. I am sorry for hurting you and I have forgiven you for hurting me. Each love has taught me something different, but all have showed me what type of person I need to be in love with and what I need from a relationship. At this young point in my life, I have had two very important loves, and both of you still hold a piece of my heart and you always will. I want you to know that I will always love you in a way, as a past love or as a friend. But without all of you, I wouldn't have realized what I need from love, and what I needed to do for myself. So thank you for loving me and letting me love you.
I am still on the journey of life and I am nowhere near done (I hope), but it has been an interesting ride so far. Without all of you who have touched my life, I wouldn't be on this particular path of my life. I love who I am as a person, and I wouldn't be me without each one of you. So thank you so much for all that you have done for me.
