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I Believe In Angels

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I Believe In Angels

TGIF!

Before I begin, let me warn you that I’ll be shedding tears while writing today. Tomorrow is going to be a big day.

I believe in angels. (I’m already in tears). I’m so lucky to have two of them in my life. Their names are Sam and Bill (Mr. William Yurak).

Today, let me tell you about Mr. Yurak. He was not only my high school teacher, but also my senior counselor and in short, the greatest man in my life. Because of him, I was able to go to the college of my choice. He told me to take my pick; he would get me in anywhere! I chose UC Berkeley. He asked, "Are you sure?" I said, "Yes." A month before anyone else received acceptance or rejection letters, I received my letter of acceptance. After spending 4 years contemplating suicide, this letter and his overall influence, gave me a great sense of hope and possibility.

For the first time in my life, I felt like somebody cared about ‘me.’ I felt respected and acknowledged. Unlike all the other teachers, he saw beyond the weird 'goth' kid facade. And though I know my parents have always loved me, up until my senior year when I had Mr. Yurak as my World Religions teacher, I had felt invisible.

Aside from getting me into the college of my choice, there were countless of little things that influenced me greatly. I won’t go into every little detail, as there too much to tell, but here’s one little example.

One day while teaching class, he stopped himself and asked a random and rhetorical question. He asked, “When you bite into a donut, what happens to the donut hole? You don’t actually eat the hole?” He waited for no answers and continued teaching class. But that little question left me thinking; it was a different kind of question. And for the first time in a long time, I started wondering about life again.

But for one simple thank you letter, I never kept contact with him after leaving high school.

Two years ago, when I found out that he had passed away, I broke down. Alone at work, I closed the store for a few minutes and I cried in the stockroom. I had Googled his name and was hoping to meet him once again. I wanted to thank him in person.

Tomorrow, a 5K race is being held in his honor. From a letter I received from his family, it looks like he touched a lot lives. And though I can’t really run anymore, I’m going to do my best even if I have to crawl it. It’s going to be an emotional and magical day. I know his spirit will be watching over us.

The old saying goes that when the student is ready, the teacher appears. I was so lucky to have him appear at such a young and importatnt time in in my life. To my beloved Mr. Yurak, my angel, my hero, thank you for still being in my life. Thank you for reminding me to care about others. Each day you remind me to be kind, thoughtful, and compassionate. You remind me to be the best man possible. Each day I wake up, I’m so lucky to have you and Sam alongside me.

The piece here is titled, “Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. The Trinity inspires it. If you believe in God, Jesus and or ghosts, you’ve got to believe in angels. I can’t imagine life without them.

May your angels shine their light on you each and every day! Thank you for listening and as a yoga teacher once said, "Go out into the world and shine!"