How do we choose our mentors in life?

I received an email late last night from a former student asking if I could be her mentor.  She calls me Ms. Lady and she always greeted me with the biggest loving smile and a sincere interest in my life (not the most frequent occurrence in a teacher's life).  The email was short, to the point and as sweet as she is.  I've been a mentor to hundreds of kids but her request made me wonder how people find their mentors in life.  I have had a few.  Right now, I have one in particular.  I told him years ago that I look up to him and I reach out to him when I'm feeling lost and in need of encouragement.  Would he know that I refer to him as my mentor as often as I do?  I don't think so.

Although I have taught a lesson to my students in the past called "what is a mentor?", my former student's email has made me wonder.  How do we determine who our mentors are?  What do we look for in the people we look up to?  Is this even a conscious decision or are these mentor/mentee relationships established somewhere in the spirit realm and we just get to enjoy their development here in our busy little human lives?  Sure, there can be a generic answer here - or several actually.  You could tell me that a mentor is "someone in my field who has gone as far as I'd like to go in my career."  Or, "someone whose morals I respect and admire."  "Someone who is well connected."  "Someone who has taken me under her wing."  "Someone I just admire and want to emulate."  But, really, how are these people determined in our lives?  And do they need to willingly accept the position?  Is there a job description?

My short answer, dearest D., is yes, of course I will be your mentor.  And I already am.  I am here for you for whatever you need and I will always encourage you and remind you of what an amazing human being you are.

Hmmm.  Perhaps the answer to my question was in her short email to me, in the last line where she wrote, simply  "I need someone as positive as you in my life."