Positive Influences

[Shalot]

Let's take a moment to honor those who have influenced us in a positive way:

The first is my grandmother Virginia:

My grandmother encouraged me to read. When I was in the first grade, she bought me a boxed set of abrigded (no laughing --- I was in first grade!) classics. (Heidi, Little Women etc)

My grandmother loved to read and her favorite book was Little Women.

My grandmother took care of me when my parents were at work. I read a lot at her house. She had the Laura Ingalls Wilder series and The Witch of Blackbird Pond.

My grandmother was frugal. She taught me the value of a dollar, though I didn't begin to appreciate the lesson until recently.

My grandmother got me my first job and it was grueling work. It was the same work that she did.

I think my grandmother would be thrilled to know that I really did appreciate what she did for me. Sometimes it's hard to tell people that you do appreciate what they've done for you.

[Petrarch's Love]

What a sweet tribute to your grandmother, Shalot. I'm sure she would be very happy indeed to know of how much you appreciate what she gave you. I also had (and, in fact, am luck enough to still have) a grandmother who added fuel to my burning love of books, took me with her on some of her wonderful travel adventures, and turned out to be the role model for the career I have now chosen. Three cheers for grandmas! :)

[miss dream]

wow your this grandmother is so kind as if she came from the heaven my advice to you is to still appreciate her for ever and keep on
if you read my message please tell me by another one ok

[optimisticnad]

positive influence?

Well this will sound bizarre and you might think not exactly postive, but its the one that comes to mind for now, il post other later. this is for Miss Vanderpoot who is probably long gone now, god rest her soul, and if she isn't god bless her soul and help her cut her nails so she cant poke innocent littel children in the chest!
anyway i was in year 3, that wouuld make like 8 years old? or youngr i think. the first time i saw her she had head full of thick hair, next day i come bck and its all gone and i was so shocked and i asked her what happened and she said 'it fell off over night.' NOw being young, how was i to know she being sarcy, but nevertheless she was (at least i think she was, is that possible? to loose all your hair over night? but actually she didnt loose, it loked like she had a haircut?) anyway being naive i believed her and for about a couple of years i still thought that and dreaded the day when my hair would just fall out. and then it clicked one day and i found out what sarcasm meant. epiphany! anyway the point is she was fantastic english teacher and she was who got me started on reading etc. etc. I was a right little Matilda. And to this day I am. and its partly down to her and her hair!

[thevintagepiper]

The person who has had the most positive influence on me ever, and still does, is my dad. He is my hero! He has put so much time and money and love into my future. He organizes my homeschooling; writes my Bible program and compiles my history program. He isn't perfect, but he is as godly and loving a father as anyone could ever have. He supports me in music, writing, dancing, whatever it is that I do. He is funny; he likes to surprise me at Christmas/birthdays with a gift that I thought I'd never get. He has raised me wisely and understandingly, and helps me guard my heart. He's kind of indescribable :)

[Shalot]

wow your this grandmother is so kind as if she came from the heaven my advice to you is to still appreciate her for ever and keep on
if you read my message please tell me by another one ok

Actually, miss dream, for a while (and this sounds terrible) I thought my grandmother was a witch. She is in the hospital and I went to visit her the other day. It was the first time I had seen her in 10 years.

My grandmother has been sick for a while and when I first heard she was sick, I wasn't sure if I cared or not and thought I wouldn't go to the funeral (mainly because I didn't want to see my aunt --- our whole family is just crazy and split right down the middle over something trivial but that's the way it goes I guess).

Part of the reason I posted this was because I wanted to remember the good things about her. I could be motivated by guilt alone, but I am also trying to remember that everyone makes mistakes and I really do think my grandmother did her very best in that regard and that is what I want to focus on.

[Shalot]

Actually, miss dream, for a while (and this sounds terrible) I thought my grandmother was a witch. She is in the hospital and I went to visit her the other day. It was the first time I had seen her in 10 years.

My grandmother has been sick for a while and when I first heard she was sick, I wasn't sure if I cared or not and thought I wouldn't go to the funeral (mainly because I didn't want to see my aunt --- our whole family is just crazy and split right down the middle over something trivial but that's the way it goes I guess).

Part of the reason I posted this was because I wanted to remember the good things about her. I could be motivated by guilt alone, but I am also trying to remember that everyone makes mistakes and I really do think my grandmother did her very best in that regard and that is what I want to focus on.


The grandmother I am speaking of in this thread died. Her funeral is in a couple of days. They expected her to die months ago and had been giving her treatments at my step-grandfather's request, but she didn't want the treatments. However, she had had strokes and wasn't functioning at full mental capacity for a while, so her wishes weren't exactly carried out. Anyway, this has been going on for a while and now it is over.

She had Christmas dinner at my house this year and she was just as pleasant as can be. It's amazing what a couple of strokes can do to a person's disposition.

She was an odd person and she and I didn't have the best relationship, but she was a good mother to her own daughter and she taught me a thing or two about money and how to tell someone in an indirect way that her hair color looks like absolute poo. May she rest in peace.

[Scheherazade]

Very sorry for your loss, Shalot. Please accept my condolences.

May she rest in peace.

[Niamh]

If sorry to hear that Shalot.
I hope your mother an your siblings are ok. More importantly we are all here for you.

[kathycf]

My condolences, Shalot.

[Virgil]

I'm sorry too Shalot. But what a great idea for a thread.

My influence is my father, who taught how to be tough and stand up for myself and also enjoy life. In short how to be a man. He passed away in September after a long struggle.

[quasimodo1]

Alas, a fantanstic idea for a new thread. If anyone had said neg. influences, well, let's not go there. My first positive influence was a dedicated pianno teacher and even more, my great uncle, who was a NY Shakespearian actor. One does get lucky sometimes early in life and truth be told, I almost lost their lesson. Let us see what this brings.

[Shalot]

I also had some really good English teachers that I think about often. Actually, one of those English teachers was a friend of my grandmother's (the woman whom this thread is about --- is that good grammar? Should it be who or whom? I am thinking whom since it is in the objective case - does anyone else agree?).

ANYWAY!!!! The English teacher I am thinking of had musical talent (she couldn't sing worth a darn, but she knew it and would tell us that just so we would get beyond her voice and on to the music) but she could hear and read music and she could understand it. I could try learning to play the piano for a million years and I would never be good at it because I have no propensity for music. I am in fact, musically retarded. My grandmother however, could hear and understand music and she could sing. But she didn't really have the time to nurture her talent. She sang in the church choir and had a lovely voice, despite her lack of committment to the choir (kids and illness can really get in the way sometimes).

Anyway, my grandmother had the gift of music and I think that is really neat. I think she really enjoyed singing. And I know she liked to read.