O.K....after writing this, I realized that I have 15 people who influence me the most...didn't think I had that many
Jesus who loves me when I can't love myself.
My Dad (God rest his soul) who always made me feel like the best thing that ever happened to him and was the source of my self-esteem. He made me believe I was wonderful.
My Mom, who shows me what strength and faith really are.
My husband, who shows me unconditional love and makes me feel like the only woman in the world, and makes me strive to be a better person every day of my life.
My brother, who shows me my capacity for love and who reminds me so much of my Dad.
My uncle for screwing our whole family over and who thus showed me my capacity for forgiveness, even though he is unrepentant. I would not have known what kind of forgiveness I was capable of were it not for him.
My mother-in-law, who showed me that you can love yourself even if you don't like the package you came in.
My father-in-law, who treats me like a daughter and reminds me what it's like to have a Dad again.
My step-dad who brought life and light into my Mother's life again when I never thought it possible.
Myself, who beats herself up every day for not being good enough, loving enough, selfless enough. Without myself I might just think I'm too good to be true
My best friend Jason, who shows me that there are good men out there who want nothing more than to love and be loved and who is one of the most loyal people I have ever met.
Pope John Paul II...who taught me how faith can make someone beautiful and who inspires me to live and die with an ephemeral grace that I cannot hope to match, but that I can certainly aspire to.
The Virgin Mary, who is graceful, strong and loving, who went through a mother's worst nightmare and still managed to be perfect.
My grandma, who shows me how vibrant and amazing someone can be at nearly 80 years old, and who has a sense of humor doing it.
My grandfather, who was the first man who ever loved me and who treated me not as a mistake but as a wonderful blessing.
God bless them all.