Inspiration

I mentioned in my first entry (here) that some blogs inspire me. One of the main ones is written by my mother-in-law, Deb. It's called Coffee With Chloe, and it's fantastic. Before my husband and I started dating, when we were still just friends, I found out his mom was an English teacher. I thought that was great, and then when we started getting serious and I knew I was going to meet his parents, I started feeling a little intimidated. One of the MANY careers I've been interested in during my life has been being an English teacher. One of the most influential people in my young life was my AP English teacher, Mary Taylor. I honed my love of words, reading, writing, and looking beyond what was on the page to the subtext, the imagery, the symbolism, the raw emotion, and the sheer capacity for change that the written word possesses in her class. I knew without meeting Deb that this woman would be amazing, so needless to say, I wanted to make a good impression--and I was so nervous! I made my then boyfriend stop at a local bar when we got close to the lake (a four hour drive from us) where my in-laws stay during the summer, so I could take a  tequila shot before I met his family (shhh, don't tell them!).

Well, I was right about her being amazing. She, my father-in-law, my husband's grandmother, and his aunt all made me feel right at home. The nervousness dissipated quickly, and while I was still a little shy, I knew then that someday this would be my family. I felt so lucky. No one could ask for more caring, down to earth people to have as in-laws. As for Deb, if you read her blog, you'll know that she's so much more than an English teacher. Speech, debate, and drama are all part of her repertoire, but that's not all I mean. She truly cares. Her students mean so much to her. You see it all the time--teachers get burnt out, and they stop caring after a certain number of years. Not Deb. She is passionate, and she's exactly what our children need and deserve in a teacher.

Sometimes, I think we're a lot alike. We're strong women. We have aspirations that go beyond what seems possible. Family is so important to us. We love to read, to laugh, to share, to inspire. We love a good glass of wine, a good book, musicals, old movies, and a good cry. We can be a little too tough sometimes, maybe a little too smart for our own good, and perhaps a little too insightful too--which can lead to trouble once in awhile! We realize we are works in progress. We know through persistence, the world can change. We are idealistic some days, and cynical others. We care too much about other people some days. Other days, we're afraid we don't care enough. We can express ourselves well out loud, but even better in written words. I see this woman in myself all of the time, and I'm not surprised that my husband and I ended up together. He is attracted to a strong, caring, passionate, intelligent kind of woman, because that is who raised him to be the man that he is. And that's exactly how I want my boys to be.

While I will never change who I fundamentally am to please others, I strive to emulate characteristics that I admire in others--ones that are already within me, but when consciously acted upon, make me a better person. Well, Deb is one of those people for me. No one has it all figured out in this crazy life, but I think she's doing a pretty good job of raising the curve. I love you, Deb. Thank you for being an inspiration to me.