nine are mine

list 10 people who have influenced you and describe how

1. my grandma. she is the reason i know that kids should have fun childhoods. she is the reason i love the 4th of july so much. she is the reason i trudge through a lot of days. she is a lot of things. she was just always so full of life and fun and understood. she was amazing. plus, you know, she gave birth to the woman who birthed me. no biggie :)
2. my grandpa. from my youngest years, he learned that my stubbornness was not something to mess with. i learned to respect him, by his quiet strength and few words. i learned from him that a job worth doing is worth doing well, and i learned more than i care to learn about the sorrow of losing one's spouse. 
3. my grandma genevieve. i learned to love animals and all life. we were never allowed to kill any insect, animal or critter in her house. they were all to be left alone or gently taken outside. i learned that babies can feel your spirit, because she was the sweetest, purest woman i have ever met. any baby she held instantly quieted down and loved her. i never saw her raise her voice or get flustered over anything. she lived a quiet, simple, pure life and i so admire it. i learned the beauty of smile lines, wrinkles and hands deformed by age and arthritis from this sweet woman.
4. my grandma nellie. i learned that hard work is a lifestyle, not a chore. i learned that the key to living a long life is never letting yourself sit down until you're dead. i learned that, even in the midst of sorrow, you can still serve others, and by serving others, heal your own broken heart. i learned not to fear old age, that it does not always bring health concerns and memory loss.
5. my sister talia. i learned from her everything i know about being a sister, friend and daughter. when my parents would fight, she would take us to her room and give us makeovers or play games with us; she would take us on drives or outside. because of her, i was spared the trauma that could have come with seeing my parents fight. i was kept out of the drama. i learned how to be gracious and a good friend from her example. everything she did was cool, thus, if i am at all cool, it is because of her.
6. my dad's dad, vilisunia. i guess a lot of his influence could be seen as bad, but from him i learned the perils of holding a grudge and burning bridges with the people you love. i learned the sorrow that can attack years after a mistake you never make right. i learned what i hope to never do in my life. 
7. j.r.r. tolkien. this man created not just a book, but an entire world. he created deities, languages, histories, cultures, people and stories. he created a place that the teenaged me ran to in order to escape the horrors of my own world. he created a haven for me; a coping skill before i knew the term. a safe place before i knew i needed one. my teenaged self instinctively loved his world, and it is only recently that i am able to fully understand the depth of what that world meant to me. 
8. masey. that kid showed me the incredible power of faith and long suffering. he was dealt a hard card early in his life, but he did not get angry about it, and was patient with all of the horrible stuff that he had to do. all through it and to this day, he speaks of the power of the priesthood with such faith. it's hard to argue with the faith of a child who witnessed his own miraculous healing. 
9. my dad. he taught me about manners and hard work and life and the blessings of being born in the amazing country. he is not a citizen, yet he is the most informed and educated man i have ever met. 
10. my mamma. this list would not be complete without her on it. she raised me. everything i am is because of her. she taught me about sacrifice and love and beauty.