Eighth grade at Lake Country School was not an easy year for me.  My family was getting torn apart by the people within. I would lay awake at 1 am with my mind racing. Week after week, and day after day, I never got enough sleep, leaving me drowsy and tired.  It took a toll on me and people began to notice. I was good at keeping issues to myself, believing I was strong enough to handle it on my own.  

One day, early in the morning just before the third bell, I got called down to the guidance office. Someone was worried about me. 

Mrs. Thurin was no ordinary guidance counselor.  She has known me since I was only six years old wandering the big halls of Lake Country School.  She has always been a part of my life, more than I had realized at the time.  

As I walked down the halls to her office, I worried about what she wanted to talk about.  

“It was brought to my attention to everything going on at home. I want you to know I’m always here if you need someone to talk to.” As she said this, a slightly worried look crossed her face.  I thought she had to say that; it was her job, she was getting paid to say stuff like this. As the year went on I realized I was wrong.

Forty minutes each week, every Monday, was my time with Mrs. Thurin. It was a time where I felt no judgment and could talk about anything on my mind.  Sitting in her small little office, playing with a Rubik’s cube (which I knew I was never going to be able to solve) I felt safe. Mrs. Thurin made me feel like I could say anything and she would never judge me. 

Months flew by and middle school was almost over.  The next step: high school. I would be leaving behind everything I had known and it was overwhelming.  I was afraid of what would come next, afraid I was going to lose the person that I could talk to. 

Within the next few days, all anyone could talk about was graduation.  We were all sad to leave our childhoods behind. Mrs. Thurin assured me, although I am leaving my childhood behind, I never had to leave her behind.  She made sure I knew if I ever needed her she would be there for me, even if I was no longer a student at Lake Country. Mrs. Thurin made an influence on my life, that I will carry with me for many years, and without her, I wouldn’t want to help people the way she helped me.