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Who has influenced you in your life?

Steve Dalton and his wife
Recently my swim coach from high school announced his retirement. After 48 years of coaching, he has decided to throw in the towel. This man had a great influence on me, helped me shape who I am today. It has really gotten me thinking, how many people have I influenced? There are some people which we know we have influenced because they have told us, but what about the people who we have but haven't told us?
I would like to tell you about an amazing man, a man who passed away this last year. Steve Dalton was a mighty man in the faith. I was on my mission, I was still in my first area, and having a really rough time. Steve Dalton was the stake president of the district I was in. Every month he would have all of us missionaries over for breakfast, this breakfast was amazing! But it wasn't the breakfast which had the biggest impact on me, it was what he did for me the very last time I was in his home. After breakfast, we would have a gospel discussion, after this last time I was the last one to step out of the house, before he let me leave he grabbed me, pulled me in for a close hug, and whispered in my ear saying, "I love you!" That was exactly what I needed to hear, it wasn't just President Dalton telling me he loves me, it was God telling me too.
The entire year before my mission I spent teaching swim lessons. There was this girl named Emily who I taught all year long. She had some mental disorder, I never knew which one one it was, but she had a huge impact on my life. I was teaching level 2 and she kept failing the class, I kept thinking of how I could teach her differently. She would swim perfectly in shallow water, but once she gets into water over her head she freaks out. A lot of kids work well when I am right beside them, Emily was different though, I had to be in front of her, leading the way and letting her follow. I didn't tell her she could swim I showed her. I saw the change happen in her eyes, seeing the fear leave her eyes replaced with excitement. I'll never forget the day which I got to see Emily pass level 2.
These are just a few people who have influenced me, people who have changed my life. I know we all have these kinds of people in our lives, some have moved away and some have passed away. I have always wondered how it will be going through the veil, seeing our family, seeing those we love, and people we have influenced. But I also think there will be many people there who influenced us there, some who know influenced us, and others not knowing exactly why they needed to be at your homecoming. Just picture it now, you are in heaven, minding your own business and God walks up to you telling you that you need to hurry up and get to the veil, there is someone important you need to meet. You get there just in time to see this person walk through the veil, start hugging your family, and then next they come hugging you, crying all over you. You don't know who this person is, they look familiar, but you still don't know who they are. They tell you about the day they decided they didn't want to live no more, they were going to take their life, but you noticed them, you said hi to them, which caused them to feel loved which changed their mind about ending their life.
We think we can't make a difference, I say that is the biggest lie from Satan. We think we need to do some great big thing to influence those around us, but I have learned it is the small and simple things which bring great things to pass. It is smiling at
someone, listening, caring and loving. Sometimes it is holding open a door for someone, or maybe letting someone merge in front of you in traffic. You never know who you will save today.

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