Home is where five taught me life,
told me its tricks,
and showed me its hidden secrets.

The artist who showed me secret passageways,
who inspired me to capture memories,
to capture one at a time.

Focus on one thing at a time;
too many focal points is messy.
One thing at a time, you’ll make your
        masterpiece.

Capture the time in multiple shots,
you’ll find the winner.
Capture the moment in time.

The astronomer, the birder,
who taught me to take a step back,
and look to the sky from the ground.

Look for the patterns of far away suns,
listen for the melodies sung by small singers
        in the trees,
pay attention to the beauty of every pattern,
        every song.  None are the same.

So listen when the singers sing,
look up when the sky is dark,
and bask in the beauty that is all around us.

The historian who helped me remember the
        past,
and move on from it.
The historian who held me when no one else
        would.

Remember back to the day.
Feel it, remember it,
put it behind.

It won’t do anything for you now.
The past only shapes you.
Learn from it, grow from it.

The speaker who gave me new eyes,
more perspectives,
and respect for all.

We all come from different backgrounds,
different cultures,
even at home.  We’re all different.

Judgment for differences is foolish,
because we’re all different -
no one is the same.

The reader, the writer, who taught me
        individualism,
to be myself with no fear,
who gave me my dreams.

You can do whatever you set your mind to,
no one can tell you otherwise.
Do whatever makes you happy,

because you’re the only you in this world.
No one person is a waste, a no one, or a
        nothing;
we’re all somethings.  Sometimes it takes
        time to find

what we are, who we are,
but that’s the adventure of life,
and it never ends.

Soon I’ll be brought back to them:
the artist who taught me patience,
the astronomer, the birder, who taught me
        gratitude,
the historian who brought me back to bring
        me forward,
the speaker who spoke words of wisdom
        that taught me kindness,
and the reader, the writer, who showed me
        me.