Mother Teresa, I'm not......

A friend of mine posted an essay to her facebook wall  that she had written in school about people who where an inspiration to her.  So as I began to read it I was expecting to see the usual names Gandhi, Jesus, Mother Teresa, Prophets of the church. You know, for some reason I was expecting to see the people who inspire me. But when I read a little intro and then saw the line "The person who has been the most influential in my life is Jenn Jam." I about died. Of coarse, she mentioned many of these other people but then she mentioned me. After reading the entire story I was in tears.
Years ago when this employee worked for me I had to terminate her for some pretty poor choices she made on her part. Later in life we met up again and she was working for the same company. We became close friends. I never once held against her the transgressions of that first mistake that she made. She was able to grow and become quiet strong and confident, holding a very prominent position within the company. With the economy the way it was when we both lost our jobs she and I lost touch but when we reunited. I found that she was raising her children on her own and was just finished with school. She said it was advice from me. I had told her always she could be "Whomever she wanted to be,she just needed to make it happen."
She did make those things happen. She never gave up. Yet she says I inspired her, she said had I held against her those initial transgressions when we reunited again for the first time she would never have never learned so much from me. She would never learned to become strong and confident. She would have never learned how to "Just make it happen."
I was so humbled by this story and am so blessed to have this friend in my life. I am very proud to see how far she has come in her life and am glad I could be a part of it.