A Thread

I have worked at the addiction center for twelve years.  Through those years I have taught ( it seems unreal) thousands.  I wonder so many times what happened, did they make it or did the addiction win and take their life?  Sometimes  I hear from one of my former students, letting me know that all is well.  Those little notes make my heart soar.

At our gig tonight, was a former student.  He was in one of the first groups I ever taught.  He is doing well.  He is like most of us, there have been hard times and loss, but he stayed true to the course and now he is helping others.  He sat in the front row tonight, all smiles.  After we did out set, we had the opportunity to chat and catch up.  Times like these, I know that I helped someone.  I know that I made a difference in someone's life.

One of my favorite movies is "It's A Wonderful Life."  I love that movie because there are so many truths in it.  The greatest truth in that movie, we truly are connected, we really do make a difference in how people's lives evolve.  We all matter.  Each of us is a thread in the tapestry of one another's lives.

I am grateful for that gentleman tonight, who sat there and listened to our music and smiled.  I am humbled that I helped him when he was down.  I tell my students so often that they inspire me, that they teach me way more than I teach them.  I am a lucky woman. I am grateful to be a thread.