Each of us is a vault of not only who we once were, but the people we spent time with. As a child, as a young adult, and in every important relationship over our lifetime, we are influenced. We loved and were loved, are loved and love now. So many people and events shape who we become over the years.

Do we know who we are today and why? I think we should reflect on these questions and then consider whether we made conscious choices to turn out the way we are. If not, why not, and what will we do about it?

Making a list of the best people in my life, I want to know if I was most influenced by them. Then I need to recognize the influence of those who disappointed me. Did I disappoint them as well?

Do I disappoint some whom I hold dear? How will I know?

Sorting out who and what is good and who and what is bad is not as easy as we think it will be. We need heroes and heroines to guide us along the way. We should all be heroes and heroines for others as well. Do we measure up?

Sorting out who and
what is good and who and
what is bad is not as easy as we
think it will be. We need heroes and
heroines to guide us along the way.
We should all be heroes and
heroines for others as well.

On the religious front, I am a great admirer of three living examples of goodness. The Dali Lama, Pope Francis, and the Reverend Dr. Bill Austin are extraordinary. A second holy man from our area - the late Reverend Charles Moseley - was also in this category. Thank Goodness - literally - that there are such leaders to show us how we should be.

How do I measure up to these examples? I could weep when I compare myself to them. The time is now for me and maybe for many of you to reflect and use the awareness that comes to do better. I believe we all can.

The world seems desperate for us to be better, doesn't it? So, let's get on with it.

Jean Loxley-Barnard has been a writer all her life and studied both sociology and psychology at George Washington University where she earned a B.A. Her company, The Shopper, Inc., encompasses all the Loxley-Barnard family publications - The Shopper Magazines and Doctor to Doctor Magazine. She has been in the advertising, consulting and publishing business for 39 years.