Out Of Norm

What Makes Someone "Out of the Norm"?
Everywhere around the world, there are some people who appear to possess certain unique characteristics that shape them into extraordinary human beings, people who have the power to be real heroes— but at the same time seem as ordinary as can be. Some may be friends, family, or even random people you spot on the street. However, you have no idea what their identity is until you actually explore and thoroughly get to know them. A few weeks ago I started to develop a strong relationship with my youth group leader, Shannon Sloan, who has an amazing story that barely anyone could get through; but she did and is now stronger because of it. Both Shannon and Frederick Douglass retain qualities that transpose
She exudes positive energy and uses it to make others feel loved and cherished. Just like Douglass, Shannon went through a dreadful experience and has used it to her advantage, by connecting with God and overall becoming stronger and wiser as a result. She married her best friend at the moment, then a few years later she realized he was cheating on her with another woman. Now Shannon, who undoubtedly didn’t want to get a divorce, tried to calmly confront him about the situation, which lead to her giving him a second chance. Then a few months later the whole experience repeated itself, except he was cheating on Shannon with his best friend's fiancé; ruining two relationships and thereby killing two birds with one stone. At that point, she was obviously done with the relationship and had quickly moved out, back into her parent’s house. Then, after only a few short days she had received a phone call that completely changed her life, her ex-husband had just passed away from a drug overdose. Now all of this had occurred over only about a meager amount of months, but just kept accumulating to a greater and greater extent. Throughout the whole series of traumatic incidents, Shannon was constantly reassuring herself that everything would work out in the end, that God had her back, which was exactly what happened. Of course, there were moments of immense sorrow and melancholy,
She felt that based on the experience she went through a few years ago, that she could use her mistakes and story to educate us about her wrong doings so we could learn from them. She is both a teacher, leader, and friend who provides a positive atmosphere in order for us to connect with God. Shannon believes that her decision to become a small group leader has been one of her best decisions yet, because she gets to connect with us on a spiritual and a relationship level. By doing so she gets to offer wisdom and advice as well as setting a good example for us in the future. I could only wish that someday I could become as strong and influential as she is.
Both Frederick Douglass and Shannon Sloan possess traits superior to that of the rest of their peers. These traits include the demonstration of impressive leadership skills, a drive to succeed or to make things right, and the ability to stay strong even through the toughest of times. Although they are from two totally different worlds and eras, they include many of the same characteristics in their everyday life and have had to push through major obstacles in order to achieve their goals. The pair of them were put on this world for a reason, to help others in extraordinary ways and to stand out from the