Evaluating the Impact of People and Events

Life can be an emotional roller coaster full of twists and turns that upset the balance of things. However, these events can have a lasting impact that can in the long run change a life forever. My life has been a gift in which I would return no aspect of it if it meant I would be less grateful or thankful. I am not who I am simply because of my individual efforts alone. There are many people who have led me to wisdom and understanding through extraordinary examples of how to live life to the fullest extent without taking anything for granted. I cherish every moment and memory I have shared with these beautiful men and women in the following words. It is here that I would like to recognize the impact of the individuals and events that continue to guide my life and daily interactions.

In March 2003, I received an important phone call that has forever changed my outlook on life. A friend of mine called to inform me that she had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. My initial response was none at all for I was in complete and utter shock. She said that she called me first out of her group of friends because she thought that I was the strongest and could handle the news without feeling sorry for. I managed to keep my composure throughout the phone call but I immediately burst into tears when I heard the sound of the dial tone at the end of the conversation. I felt a heavy emotional weight in my heart because I didn't understand how someone so young and vibrant could face such a deadly disease. I called my mother and told her the news and I could barely speak because of the tears flowing from my eyes. I watched my friend slowly succumb to pancreatic cancer, the weight loss, chemotherapy and the frequent visits to the hospital were a few of the things I would witness in the year prior to her death in 2004. In March 2004, I received another phone call informing me that my dear friend Meka had passed away earlier that morning. She was twenty six, a very generous and caring person that I will never forget. I choose too remember the impact that she had on people's lives through giving her time and patience without even thinking about what she would receive in return. I consider her a humanitarian in the small community of people whose lives she has forever changed in a positive way. She will forever inspire me to give back to others no matter how big or small the gesture may be.

In August 2005, I received a phone call informing me that my fellow college classmate at twenty six years of age had died in a plane crash the previous day. This story is not a complete sad one for flying was something my beloved classmate loved to do. He was a pilot and a flight instructor and at the time of the accident he was helping someone achieve the dream of flying across the friendly skies. His passion and drive will forever inspire me and I will always remember his determination to achieve success despite the odds. Kevin was the little engine that could find a way no matter what adversity he faced. I remember him telling me to be patient and to never give up on what I know in my heart is my passion. His life is an example that shows no matter how young or old you are you can become all that you heart so desires. I have been further inspired by his spirit to never let my inner critic allow me to lose focus of my dreams. I choose to tell these stories not to evoke sadness but to serve as a reminder of how fragile and precious life really is. Overall, celebrating each second and moment should be as natural as the sun rising.

August 2005 was also a time when I realized just how important family ties were to me. Hurricane Katrina was an event that brought people and families together and in some cases further apart. I was in Seattle Washington at the time and earlier that year I decided I wanted to return to New Orleans by year's end. I was at the crossroads in my career while battling with missing my family and friends that I decided to leave four and half years earlier. I never imagined the biggest hurricane everyone in the Gulf Coast region would eventually face would be a spiritual one. I watched the news, scattered through e-mails and frantically read text messages searching for confirmation that all of my loved ones were okay. One by one I started to hear from my family and friends and it was literally a breath of fresh air from the state of anxiety I found myself in. One particular phone call stands out because it was the voice of my friend in tears saying, "I just want you to know I am alive and okay." At this moment I realized that I took my friend for granted and the idea of never seeing or speaking to that person again was unimaginable to me. Hurricane Katrina showed the world just how easy it is for material possessions to be lost in an instant and the face of poverty it once ignored. Hurricane Katrina was a wake up call for me and I realized a significant aspect of my happiness is rooted in the presence of my family, friends and the precious place of New Orleans that I will always call home.

There is a jazz song that celebrates, "What a difference a day makes." The singer bellows out the words, "What a difference a day made, Twenty-four little hours, Brought the sun and the flowers, Where there used to be rain." There have been many days that have made a difference in my life and I am forever changed by the tremendous impact of the hours, seconds and minutes in those days. Every time I find myself overwhelmed with sadness I have to remember that no burden is ever too big to let my hope and will to live be diminished. I walk with a renewed assurance that everything will be alright despite the haziness in which I cannot see beyond the storms of life. Overall, in evaluating the impact of people and events in retrospect is a blessing because I can appreciate the value in simply living to enjoy life.