Who has been the biggest influence in your life? What lessons have they taught you?

My father was the biggest influence in my life. Although there was a big age difference, he was forty four when I was born, he taught me to appreciate so many things, particularly books and classical music. From a young age he used to take me to libraries,orchestral concerts, museums, the cinema, anywhere that he thought would interest me.

We used to go out together on Saturday mornings and explore the city of Bristol where I grew up, it was a working port at that time and there were always new ships to see. When I was older, he taught me about choosing a good quality music system and cameras. My Dad was not an openly affectionate type of person, he was not brought up that way, but we shared so many interests and we were very close.

He died twenty two years ago, but I still miss him.

Both my Parents were the biggest influences in my life. Mom pushed hard for the College degrees and Dad pushed for a skill to fall back on. That is why I now have both.

When I was a kid on weekends you got waken up about 8AM and got to work around the house. As a kid I was not taking out the garbage but learning plumbing, electric and things of that nature. By the time I was 12 I was doing tune-ups and got a job pumping gas in a station.

The owners used to think it was cute to watch a kid take off and change tires on the machine. But then you also had to do your homework and study. I had my fun also but this instilled in me to work hard and not waste time and approach things from more than one angle.

The biggest influence in my life is my mother. I have the most profound respect for her simply because she raised my sister and I without our father. Being a parent is difficult enough when both mom and dad are in the household but can be very difficult to say the least when you have the be both mother and father.

One of the biggest lessons my mother taught us was how to have respect for your parents. She was not a mean parent but she made sure that we knew our place in the home. My sister and I both knew that if we ever stepped out of line that there would be consequences.

Another lesson she taught us was that we had to put forth effort if we wanted to see our dreams come to past in our lives. She instilled in us that it wasn’t enough to just want something to happen but that we had to be willing to do whatever was needed in order to help a dream become a reality.

The one who give me biggest influence was my mother. She always told me to work hard and she give real example with her daily hard work.

My grandmother had the largest influence in my life. Many people say that I am just like her. I only wished, because my grandmother was a much stronger and better person than I am.

She really seen the good in everyone and never said a harsh word to anyone in her life. My grandmother was not famous in any other area than her own. She helped so many people in our community out.

She had a grocery store and allowed people to get items on credit. Many people in our area would have starved without her help. Of course, in the end many people took advantage of this.

Everyone thought she was a very rich lady. However, when she died, people owed her well over a million dollars from the items they got on credit. She had a great compassion for all people and was willing to give people the shirt off her back.

She was generous to a fault. I would get upset with her at times for being so generous, but now I'd have it no other way. I am sure she is getting reward for this.

She never wanted or expected praise and was very modest about everything in her life. She really set the best example that I can imagine for me. I can only hope to be 1/2 the woman she was.

Because of her I have the gift of compassion and empathy. That is truly something I hold dear.

My father is the biggest influence in my life. Although my parents are both loving and caring to me and my siblings but my father played a big part in what I have become at the present. I have many happy memories with my father.

He often played with us. He taught me and my brother how to ride a bike. He made a swing for both of us under a tree in our yard.

He is also very lenient and treats me like an adult. He often hugs and kiss us. I really feel loved.My mother is the withdrawn type and I understand because her childhood was hard and she left her family to fend for herself at an early age.

My elder sister made me understand that my mother can only give so much and that I should not compare my parents because my mom had a difficult childhood while my father was cared for by my grandparents (he is the only son and child). Nevertheless, I don't take it against my mom but this could be one of the reason why my father became a big influence in my life.My father is my inspiration, he did not teach me a lot of things but all the things I learned from him are things that he made me see and feel. I learned to be sensitive to other people's needs instead of thinking only of myself.

When we ate in a restaurant he would often buy a takeout meal and I was wondering, to whom will he give this food to? All of us are in the restaurant and nobody's at home. But when we went out, I notice a group of street children who are begging for food and my father gave this food to them.

I was very young then but that sight taught me to be generous to others not only to friends but even to strangers.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.