Obviously

I feel that I need to clarify one thing before I embark on this series of posts on the influences on my life.

My family, like yours I'm sure, has had the greatest influence on my life. Because of the amount of time we spend with those in our immediate family, for better or for worse, they will be among the most profound influencers of just about anyone's life. That is just the way it is. Things that your parents or siblings or grandparents or cousins or any other relative do or say often have the greatest impact.

I understand that and though I don't want to diminish that influence, I don't know if I will write specifically about members of my family. I guess I was looking at it as a given that my family would be at the top of the list.

Just wanted to put that out there so I don't get comments about leaving out some of the most important people in my life. I also didn't want to offend those important people because I left them out. Know that you are at the top, now and always, in such a way that nothing even needs to be written.

Peace.