Pass It Forward

[#1]

I had a mentor for over 18 years. She wasn't a formal mentor assigned to me from a program, but over the years, I deemed her my mentor. I met her when I was only four years old. She moved in next door to my family.

I would always bug her for snacks, hoping for cookies and sweets, and instead she would peal and cut carrots for me. She told me carrots were good for my eyes and my vision. Little did I know then that those chats over carrots would change my world forever.

Our friendship started over carrots and it grew. She attended my birthday parties and would take me places I had never been. She talked to me about what I wanted to be when I got older. She was a lawyer and told me all about her job. She spent time with my family and I spent time with her family. We lived next door to each other for about a year, which during that time I saw her everyday. After a year, my parents moved about 2 miles away. After we moved, I saw her about once a month, sometimes more and sometimes we'd go longer than a month. Either way, when I saw her car pull up or my mom told me she was coming to get me, I got excited.

We stayed friends for many years. She attended my kindergarten, high school and college graduations. She always cheered the loudest and presented me with the biggest bouquet of flowers. I knew she was proud of me and my accomplishments. She not only said she was proud, but she truly meant it. The first time I made the deans list at Western Michigan University, she held a dinner part for me in celebration!

I think over the years our mentorship turned into a friendship. I think around the time I left for college is when I looked to her not only as a mentor, but as a true friend. Someone I could call at anytime of the day, with any problem. She started to question my decisions, rather than always support them. She provided support when I wasn't sure if I could stay in school, sometimes driving from Ann Arbor to Kalamazoo (over an hour) just to give me a pep talk. She would send encouraging letters and notes. She also helped me financially through college.

My mentor passed away three years ago from cancer. She was my confidant, my rock, my inspiration. I strive to be like her and through this blogging journey; I hope to share some stories about our wonderful friendship.

[#2]

Lovely story, Allison. I had a neighbor who was like that for me. All the things I couldn't talk to my parents about, I could talk to Jack about. He was there at my college graduation and at my wedding. He told me many times, If I ever needed anything, anything at all, he'd be there for me. He was a great inspiration and an ideal I attempt to live up to every day.

[#3]

For me, my high school guidance counselor and his wife really made a difference in my life. He was an advisor in a high school club that I belonged to, so we spent lots of time traveling to events and doing community service activities. I kept in touch with him throughout college and beyond. He passed away a few years ago and was very grateful that I was able to tell him how much he meant to me and how he made a difference in my life. I still miss him and think of him often.