A Man and His Lessons Brian J Cugini

I still remember the day I was first introduced to him -- a man I would never meet in person, but who would have a significant effect on my life. My sixth-grade music teacher did the introduction, as he played various clips of songs by The Beatles as part of a ‘music appreciation’ lesson plan one day. I ran home that day from school, and searched frantically for any CDs my parents had by the ‘Fab Four’. I found “The White Album,” and listened to it from start to finish, all eighty minutes of it, and fell in love with the music. This day, though I did not know it, would change my life forever, as it brought me to John Lennon. For weeks I was humming “Blackbird" and “Bungalow Bill” ,among other tunes, unable to shed them from my mind. It was not long before I owned every album The Beatles had produced, and moved on to appreciating John Lennon’s work in his post-Beatles career.

People are constantly affecting one another. This is a lesson I have learned in my eighteen years of life thus far, and one that I can place my complete trust in. I have plenty to be thankful for, especially for those who surround me. My parents provided for me, and taught me right from wrong. My younger siblings taught me responsibility and caring...