The Influental Person

I have come across many, many people in my short life time and so many people have helped me on my journey through life. There is one thing that is common among all people: we will never forget the person who truly influenced us in the most significant way. And trust me I will never forget the person who has given me such a great influence in my life. His name is Ted Erion. He and his wife took me into their home when I was in a time of need and they treat me as one of their own. They both have greatly helped me but he has done something no one else has done before. He has showed that there is no such thing as "I can't." Ever since the first day that I moved into his home on December 31, 2010, he has done nothing but help me through school and help me on my future.

He has never told me once that I am in way over my head with anything. He has always said I can do it if I put my mind to it. For instance, I started helping him in the yard just about every weekend and I decided that we should add some colorful plants to the yard to liven the place up just a bit. We went down to the local nursery and I picked out red and white Kalanchoes. He warned me at the nursery that I would definitely have my work cut out for me in the summer if I chose these plants over some other ones that were the same color. Well, I wanted these flowers and not the other ones. We ended up with these Kalanchoes and boy was he right when the summer rolled around! There was work just about every weekend for these plants. I had to bud them, I had to cut back their dead limbs, I had to put mulch around them, and in other words I really had to take good care of them. But there was one thing about Ted that I admire so much, he never once discouraged me in thinking that I could take care of these plants. They're not looking too fantastic right now, but the work put into them is what really matters. He has taught me that it takes effort, and great amounts of it in your body and mind, to take on any kind of job that is big or small.

Ted Erion has also done many other things besides helping me with small decisions in the yard; he has also helped me with community service for college. He is in the Oviedo-Winter Springs lions Club and it's a volunteer club to help people who are blind, handicapped children and they also help with people's dental work that they cannot afford to pay for. I have always wanted to help people but I never thought I was able to. I also never liked a lot of people, I was very judgmental and I was really like my parents, who don't have the best personalities so to speak. I took about 3 months to finally getting the courage to go and meet new people and help the ones in need. I have been doing this for 6 months now I feel better than ever. I'm not as shy as I was before, I don't judge people right off the bat or at all, and I let myself see the world as a happy place now instead of dwelling on the past

...