The Men who built me up

Yesterday a friend asked me who the most influential person in my life was, my answer, I honestly can't pick just one. I mentioned the five women who I wrote about on Mother's Day, and today, Father's Day, I want to honor the men who made me who I am, and am becoming.

Theodore Roosevelt has a quote that I absolutely love, and it's a quote I've read a lot over the last few months.

"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."

People have tried to tear me down, they have been critical, watching for me to stumble, waiting for me to make a mistake, and honestly it happens, more often than I'd like most likely. But the thing that I'm reminded of is that their opinion doesn't matter. The boys who try and tear me down can never succeed because there are nothing compared to the men who built me up.

There are far too many and they have done way too much for me to name the things they have done for me, so this will be a simple list of names, but they are the names of men I hold in very high esteem.

Dad
Gramps

My Mentors:

Jeremy Thompson
Doug Boquist
Brad Taylor
Rick Duncan
Brian Howell

My Professors:

Terrell Sanders
Bruce Petersen
Doug Matthews
Rick Williamson
Alex Varughese
John Nielson
Bruce Oldham

Other Men:

Matt Koons
Terry McConnell
Deke Gunsolley
Scott Peterson
Travis Keller

My Brothers:

Aaron Ballard
Zach Stalnaker
Joe Pittenger
Donny Widney
Jeremy Wachtel
Matt Freeman
Kenny Harris
Tyrome Turner
Mike Rodden
Steb Stott

I wouldn't be who I am without you. You have all taught me, guided me, and stood by me no matter what. I love you all so much. Thank you for building me into who I am.