Mentors Help Take the
Stress out of Life

He walked onto his stage as he did each week of my childhood and my heart pounded as it did each time I saw him speak. This one night in particular, I remember being down and dealing with tough school issues. I wasn’t quite sure of who I was or who I was supposed to be. I guess I was just plain confused.

John Hogan was a tall man with a great presence. He had a beard and mustache and kind of reminded me of a prophet. He didn’t talk like the other speakers. He talked to “me” on “my” level and therefore I related to him and yes, even loved him.

John Hogan stood majestically as he pulled a tiny brown cloth bag with a pull tie string from his pocket which he did every week. And from this bag, he would pull out gems and wisdom and life’s secrets. I called it his magical bag.

He leaned down and got a little closer to us while opening his bag and from it he pulled out a bunch of green grass. He placed some on the ground in front of him and kept some in his hands. He first explained that every single piece of grass is different and not one is genetically the same, same as us humans. He then went onto describe how beautiful each blade was while one was shorter or taller or wider or narrower. He even loved the one with the blemish because it was even more unique. I learned to love myself that day. I thought that if he could love a piece of grass that much, I was definitely worth loving even with my many blemishes! ;)

He then simply handled the grass while explaining what it needs to survive. It needs a healthy and safe environment to grow in. It needs food and a proper bed to live. He then held the grass up a little and dropped it. As it hit the ground and lie lifeless, he said, “And, most of all, it needs love.”

At the end of his talks, my Dad would sometimes say hi when we were leaving. This night, he leaned over to me and said, “You are a special child and just know that you are always loved.” To this day, I still feel loved by that man. He taught me to love me. He taught me that I am so much more than a beautiful, perfect and inspirational piece of grass and that I could achieve anything I wanted to in life.

Funny that mentors can literally change your entire life with mere words of support. If it weren’t for John Hogan, I’m not sure who I would have turned out to be. All I know is that I didn’t turn out to be anyone other than me and I have him to thank.

Back to Anniversary Issue 2011