Aggie,
I hope you don't mind, but I have to chime in on this. First of all, I'm sorry for the loss of your former counselor. That is a very sad thing. Second, thank you for bringing attention to all the unsung heroes who teach. Well, i guess with this thread they aren't unsung anymore.
I raise my morning coffee to Mrs. Fenimore (1st grade) who took a kid with way too much energy and curiosity and focused it. To Ms. Pennington (4th grade) who not only started me early on the path of being a good student, but also took extra time to work with a girl that was just a little too different from the rest of the class. And to Ms. Smith (11th grade) I feel that I owe her a debt that I'll never be able to repay. She opened up not only my mind, but in a lot of ways my soul. I was linear, rigid, and entirely "too much in my head". She helped me to become fluid, flexible, and got me to see and think beyond what was simply written on a page. I owe my love of history and literature and language to her. And while I will never forgive her for making me read "Billy Bud" (we debated that hotly until the end of my high school career), I will never, ever forget what she did for me. I'm not a teacher by profession, but I think the greatest way for me to repay her is to keep learning and doing my best to teach others with the same passion that she taught me.
To all teachers out there, thank you for you effort and your passion and tireless pursuit of education. You are appreciated and loved.
Gray