Appreciation of Significant People in My Life

Have you ever stopped to think about the significant people in your life?

Do you find that you are so busy living your life, going through the daily, weekly, monthly routine of managing work and/or family expectations, that you sometimes neglect to acknowledge those significant people that have touched your heart in some way?

Like many of you, I have so many people that I wish I talked to more often. Personally, I have a good number of really cool relationships with ladies and gents who make me laugh. Some have been there for me. Some have supported my dreams. Some were my students. Some have allowed me the privilege of helping them with their careers.

I decided to share this personal story with all of you for two reasons. First, it provides you with a glimpse into who I am and why I enjoy mentoring so much. Second, I hope it encourages you to take action and do something similar in your life. Don't let life just pass on by. Tell people how you feel about them.

For those of you that follow my content regularly, you may remember that I wrote about losing my friend, Catherine. About a month after finding out about Catherine, I decided that I wanted to host an intimate event that would honor significant people in my life.

I reached out to my friend, Janice, to ask for her help in planning the event.

I reached out to my friend, Tracy, to ask for a conference room in her law firm for the venue.

I reached out to my friend, Nadia, to ask if she would cater the event.

All three of them had the same response: “Anything for you, Amy!”

My invitation was sent out on March 8th.

I would like to thank you for being a significant person in my life and someone who believes in my mission to help others.

In appreciation, I am hosting an intimate gathering.

I have been on my “9-to-5 sabbatical” for a year now and I have realized that I miss being in the same room with individuals, like you, who have touched my heart in some way.

Life goes by so quickly and before I know it, it has been months or years since I spent quality time with friends that have had a significant impact on my life.

In addition to the benefit of you and I seeing each other, I would also like to share you with other significant people in my life. Just imagine all of the wonderful people coming together in appreciation. There will be hugs galore, for sure!

I hope you can make it! I would love to see you.

Sincerely grateful,
Amy

In preparation for the event, I prepared name badges on lanyards, I wrote a handwritten thank you note to each person, and I created five copies of a laminated photo collage that explained how I met each person. The photo collage was a huge hit – two people asked if they could take it home. Ha!

   During the evening, my friend, Tania, flipped the event on its head, by asking me to stand in the front of the room and then asking each attendee to share what I meant to them. She said she knew the event was intended for me to appreciate the attendees, but she believed they would like an opportunity to show their appreciation for me as well. I did not anticipate that turn of events. It was already an emotional event for me.

Needless to say, there were many tears shed that night and a bunch of hugs were shared. It was an event like no other. There were stories that went back a dozen years. Some attendees told me later that they got more out of hearing the personal stories than they could have through a simple introduction. Some attendees told me that they met some really nice people (and new friends) during the event. Others told me they enjoyed getting to see mutual friends that they hadn't seen in a while.

I hired a photographer because I wanted to capture the memory of this event forever. Below is a sampling of the photos.