Who we are is based on the things that make up our past and to what extent we have chosen to let it go. My husband gave a prompt to his high school class that has been making me think of how I would answer.

“Pick one story from your life that describes who you are.”

My first response was to tell a story of something big that happened in my life and then I realized that I was misunderstanding the question. Wow. That question was bigger than I thought. Describe myself? All of me? Where do I start? I have to just pick one? Turns out that had I been one of his students, my paper would have been late. The story that (I think) I have picked is the story of my engagement.

Sean had planned out a major trip to propose to me in Muir Woods just like his father did for his mother. I was working and was totally unaware of the extent of the work he had to do to keep it all a secret. He got time off from my boss, his boss, asked my mother for my hand, booked the flight/rental car/hotel, packed my bags, arranged a limo to the airport, and made sure that the whole way there I would have no idea what was going on.

It worked.

I was completely oblivious to the network of people around me that would go to such lengths to make sure that this would be a perfect memory. I had no idea there were so many people who not just cared, but were “real” friends and family. I didn’t know so many people saw me as being worth all that. I hadn’t realized how lucky I was.

Even now I forget how many people I really have around me that would be there if I needed them; who see value in me. I used to have a collage of faces of the people I called family. Since then I have had to put so many faces into it that I had to stop. The poster size frame was full. Having small reminders of the people who really care is important to me on those days where I seem to be oblivious to the love I have around me. I hope I can someday give that love back to them, when they are in need of it.