because i knew you...

it blows my mind that at any given moment, a person can walk into your life & change everything. forever.

...

that girl who hated you from the start and has made it her personal goal to ruin your life for no apparent reason.

that shy boy who sits across from you on the bus who turns out to be the funniest person you know with a little encouragement.

the seemingly stuck-up girl you were always jealous of who you discover is actually your soul sister after working up the courage to start a conversation.

the little girl in your primary class with the heart-wrenching life story.

the seemingly perfect boy swimming the medley race at that random swim meet who just happens to get your number from an old friend.

the quiet roommate living in the back room who asks questions about your church and strengthens your testimony more in a few weeks than you could have done alone in a lifetime.

that one teacher whose quiet example and brilliance inspires you to model your career after them.

or even that boy you run into in the parking lot after a dance... & somehow, you know... life will never be the same ♥

today, i'm thankful for those little moments when you realize that one person, however seemingly insignificant they were in the beginning, has changed your life in more ways than they can ever understand. sometimes, they can have a negative impact on your life, but you learn from it anyway and better yourself. but, luckily, there are those who lift us up and better us every moment we know them. those are the people worth keeping around.

so here it is: a thank you to all the "keepers" in my life!

"i've heard it said that people come into our lives for a reason, bringing something we must learn.  and we are led to those who help us most to grow if we let them, and we help them in return. well, i don't know if i believe that's true, but i know i'm who i am today because i knew you.  like a comet pulled from orbit as it passes a sun, like a stream that meets a boulder half way through the wood. who can say if i've been changed for the better? but because i knew you i have been changed for good.  it well may be that we will never meet again in this lifetime, but let me say before we part: so much of me is made of what i learned from you. you'll be with me like a handprint on my heart. and now, whatever way our stories end, i know you have rewritten mine by being my friend. like a ship blown from its mooring by a wind off the sea, like a seed dropped by a skybird in a distant wood. who can say if i've been changed for the better? but because i knew you i have been changed for good." ♥ wicked