THANK YOU

We all have those in our lives
who have the gift of
pressing our buttons.
They are like heat seeking missals
with the ability to detonate that
which we needed to destroy
in our own time.

We tend to avoid them
because we see them as evil,
as our enemies,
and those to avoid.

What if we began saying
thank you.
Thank you for helping
me address my weaknesses.
Thank you for showing me
the dangers before me
Thank you for being a teacher

Thank you for helping me see
what I was not ready to see in myself.
Thank you for forcing me to heal
so that you and others cannot hurt
me in my future.
Thank you for showing me the dangers
so I can take the path which is safer and
not fraught with the dangers
I could not see.

To all of you who taught me
whether that was your intent or not
thank you.