I saw the movie, "Freedom Writers" it was good. I've liked some others that had a similar message a little more but none the less it was good. It was thought provoking or more accurately it stirred some memories in me. It reminded me of special thank yous I have been blessed to give.

Judy Genge in Wellsboro, Pa. was instrumental in getting me involved working with her to get the books upgraded in the school system. We worked with Mansfield College and thanks to all Judy's efforts were successful. It lit a passion in me. Thank you Judy.

My sons, Tom and Jim, knew I missed working with children when we moved to Erwin. Thanks to their efforts I was contacted to be a volunteer aid to Ms. Buckner and Ms. McKeithan. They had a split class and I was given the opportunity to help them. Within a few months I was assisting all the teachers in the Pod. Mr. Stultz asked me if I would like to continue full time as a Teacher's Aide. I said yes but was going to ETSU at night and would need to get paid. Presto I was a paid Teacher's Aide. Later my responsibilities expanded and I was even able to be a substitute teacher and worked with remedial readers. I was a sometimes phys ed teacher and art instructor. I loved these experiences, Thank you Tom and Jim.

Coach Charlie Bryant got me involved in the "Blue Devil Relays." In retrospect I can't believe I was given the role of coach. I was to coach the high jump and several races. Imagine me a high jump coach, as a girl I couldn't jump high enough to become a cheerleader and here I was a coach. Thank goodness the old adage that "some people do, others teach" holds true. It seemed to always be breezy during the Relays but nothing could dampen or distract from the fun and excitement. Thank you Coach Bryant.

During my adventures at Evans Elementary, I had an art contest. The students used chalks and the pictures were displayed under black lights. It is still hard for me to fathom that this show ended up creating a religious ruckus in the community. Apparently some of the parents thought it was totally inappropriate that drawings of the group "Kiss" were allowed. Mr. Frank Stultz, the principal stood up for me and the students. He told the community pastors and members of the PTA that we were inspiring creativity and not doing the work of the devil. Thank you Mr. Stultz.

Lynn Morebach was instrumental in getting me involved with the YMCA. I loved working with the children and the extra money during my separation and eventual divorce was welcomed and needed. Thank you Lynn.

Skip Oldham took a chance on me as a novice Travel Agent. I remember him telling me that he would need to hire someone with experience. I remember telling him that I understood but that I wanted to be a travel agent so I would need to apply elsewhere. He called me and said he wasn't sure if I would be a good agent BUT he knew with my bubbly personality he didn't want to have me working for the competition. It was the first time that I recognized that personality and attitude can make a big difference as you go through life. That has been a very important life lesson. My experience at Oldham Travel laid the foundation that led me to the various successes I've been blessed to experience in the Travel Industry and in corporate America. I am sure it is in large part responsible for my daring to write my sales and marketing book and launch my own business. Thank you Skip.

David Hallal became my mentor and dear friend. He asked me if I wanted to join the training program at Travel Agents International. I jumped at the opportunity but was unsure how successful I would be training adults. I loved working with children but wasn't sure how that would translate in an adult environment. I learned that adults have a shorter attention span than children. They are distracted by thoughts of what they have to do that day, maybe resentment at having to sit through a training class, or wondering about what they were going to do over the weekend. Life took their attention away. I learned that to be successful and make a difference the classes needed to be interactive and entertaining as well as informative. Learning this has made the biggest difference in my ability to teach. I no longer prepare a workshop around my pontificating but rather listen and learn as ideas are exchanged in an environment of involvement. Thank you David for being my teacher and my training partner. Thank you for taking the chance and believing I could teach adults. It is now my passion.

While teaching a 4 day workshop for Outside Sales Agents for Travel Agents International, my class taught me that I needed more than work in my life. Of all my seminars these gentlemen had one of the greatest effects on my life. I wish I remembered each of their names but sadly I don't. I remember one kind man was going to work with George Mason University and sell travel to the Alumni there. He and the rest of the group were enthusiastic students. I remember sitting with them after class one day and they were asking me about the places I had visited as a benefit of being in the Travel Industry. I had been on a couple of cruises but never had taken advantage of the opportunities afforded me. I had always chosen to work (I wasn't self confident and didn't want to lose my chance to teach because I was absent.) or used my time off to spend with my family. They inspired me to investigate my dream trip. I had always wanted to go to Africa. It was a dream I had since I was a little girl and one that I shared with my dad. This group ignited my desire to go. They gave me the confidence that I was an effective solo teacher. That I could inspire and teach techniques even if I wasn't teaching in tandem with David. Thank you gentlemen, teaching you was life changing and my adventure to Africa forever redefined me.

As a Trainer at RMH Teleservices I was exposed to a community of people whose paths had never crossed mine before. Some of the students were banded to limit their whereabouts because they had been in trouble with the law. Some had no intention of learning, they merely wanted to get paid for the training and would stay the minimal time to qualify. Others were there for a chance. One gentleman and his brother touched my heart. One man couldn't read. As it turned out part of his problem was that he couldn't see the screen. I got him a magnifying page so he could hold it up in front of the screen. His brother was awesome. It only took a little encouragement to get him to believe that he could make a positive difference in his bother's world by helping him to learn to read the screens. One of my most treasured possessions if a hand written thank you note written by them when I left RMH. I learned that no one should ever be judged by their economic situation, attire, circumstance or past. Until then I would have said I would never judge anyone by those standards BUT it wasn't until I was immersed in that situation that I learned it. Later as I worked at various venues I experienced judgement by people based on what I was wearing and what role I was assigned. I was able to have empathy and not get mad because I had walked a mile in those "first impression" shoes myself. Thank you God for putting me in that situation.

Throughout the various jobs I have had and experiences I've lived I have learned that I love teaching and learning how to remove obstacles so others can succeed. That is what gives me joy. As I watched "Freedom Writers" I remembered the many lessons I learned that have given me the confidence to be successful today as I launch, "Ideas Unlimited." I remembered the people and faces of those that believed in me and gave me a chance and those that said I made a difference for them. Not a bad side effect for the cost of a movie.