Inspiration comes to all of us in many different ways. My inspiration is derived from my grandmother. She's guided me through some of life's hardest lessons, and she's been there to give me answers to my most troublesome dilemmas.
             My grandmother has thoroughly shown me that trust and respect go hand in hand. We have an amazingly unique relationship, as we can talk about anything. We also have the utmost respect for each other. She's always said to me, "I'll trust you until I find out you're lying to me." This has caused me to fear losing her trust, but furthermore, it has driven me to adopt it as my universal motto for trusting others.
             Due to both physical and mental abuse inflicted as a child by my family, I became extremely withdrawn and apprehensive towards even the most compassionate family members. For the first ten years of my life I lived with my mother's alcoholic father. Soon after my tenth birthday I moved to New York to live with my negligent father and hideously psychotic stepmother. It was while living with my stepmother that my grandmother realized there was something wrong. She slowly showed me that it was possible for family members to care, and those that care prove it through their actions. As soon as she found out exactly how bad the situation with my stepmother was, she moved me into her own house. There she has continued to pass on the plethora of lessons she has learned over the years. I have since learned that I can trust and love family members that I had previously kept myself from.
             The innumerable amount of lessons that my grandmother has taught me shall not only affect me, but they will also touch the lives of my children. She has delicately shown me that trust is the basis of all relationships. Her patience and wisdom has also given me the ability to care for those around me without apprehension. She has truly inspired me to become at least half the per...