Friday, March 27, 2015

Gratitude Week 8: Grateful for Someone Who Inspires Me



Someone who inspires me – I am grateful to have many people in my life whom I find inspirational.

I looked up the definition of the word inspiration: The excitement of the mind or emotions to a high level of feeling or activity.

Now that I have read it I would say I am more excited to a high level of feeling than inspired to a high level of activity. I am excited to a high level of feeling by the following people: Shel, my kids, my mother, my sister Jackie, My sister Jill, my aunty Brenda, My nana, my Gran Ennis, my friends Mel, Loralee, Tari, Mary, Laurel, Kathleen and Sarah. My sister in laws. I believe if more people read the definition of the word “inspiration” then they would realize that being excited to a high level of emotion doesn’t have to come from someone famous. In my case none of the people who inspire me are famous (that I know of).

In less than a week my nana will have been gone from this life for eight years. I can’t believe it. I STILL think of her every day. I know that seems impossible – that I would think of her every day after eight years, but I do. She had that kind of impact on me. She was a feisty lady. Small in stature, but HUGE in personality. She was born in Liverpool and was growing up in the city during the second world war when it was bombed. She was actually in a bomb shelter when a bomb landed on the buildings above and some people were killed in the shelter where she was.

In her lifetime she experienced the most amazing things; overwhelming, harsh, TOUGH things.  Her mother passed away and was buried at sea on the way to Africa. Her sister had tuberculosis and spent time in a sanitorium. Her one son was killed in the civil war in Africa before he was in his mid twenties.

Whenever I think I am having a rough day I think of nana and all that she endured and overcame and what a wonderful woman she was.

I have been blessed in my life to know that I am loved. I KNOW that my nana loved me. A few years ago my parents were living in Singapore and I went there to visit with them. Nan was visiting them at the same time. I had not seen her in quite a few years, and we had the most excellent visit. We laughed and we talked and we spent a good deal of time together not saying anything at all. I was always extremely comfortable in her presence. It’s difficult to put into words the way being with her made me feel.  I can only say this – I never ever doubted that she loved me completely and never judged me.  She was one of the most remarkable women I have ever known and I am MORE than grateful that she was in my life.

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