People who've inspired you personally?

chic

chic

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U.S.
Has anyone in your life proved to be an inspiration to you?

While travelling through a foreign country with my parents one summer vacation when I was a teenager we visited one of many tourist shops. This one offered objets d'art and jewelry. A middleaged woman stood regally behind sweeping glass jewelry cases. She talked to me and my mother as we admired the jewelry displayed. She told us she was a survivor of Auschwitz. After being liberated from the death camps, she had trouble reintegrating herself into society. Jewelry making was recommended to her as "therapy". She turned her "therapy" into a successful career and eventually became a business owner.

Jewelry never again seemed frivilous to me. Sometimes it can be a brick in the road to recovery. I make jewelry myself now. (Recreationally). It's creative and relaxing and I always think of that special survivor I met when I was just 16 yrs old. What a remarkable woman. I still think of her after all these years.

Has someone inspired you?
 

Yes Chic. There have been several. I was going to talk about a favourite one until I read your post and thought of an old man named David who had a tattooed number on his arm. We were visiting the Holocaust Museum in Sydney with a class of Year 10 school girls. He was our guide in the museum and was the sweetest man, with the gentlest manner. When we were about to leave he said to the girls, "Remember this, you must never hate." I wanted to hug him and I've never forgotten his words.
 
JFK was the most inspirational for me. I almost joined the Peace Corps before he was assassinated. LBJ was a good president, if one can look beyond Vietnam, but didn't have the "magic" of Kennedy...
 

Dame Warrigal said:
Yes Chic. There have been several. I was going to talk about a favourite one until I read your post and thought of an old man named David who had a tattooed number on his arm. We were visiting the Holocaust Museum in Sydney with a class of Year 10 school girls. He was our guide in the museum and was the sweetest man, with the gentlest manner. When we were about to leave he said to the girls, "Remember this, you must never hate." I wanted to hug him and I've never forgotten his words.
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Lovely story Dame. Thanks for sharing. We were both privileged to meet these survivors weren't we. It's a life changer.
 
Ralphy1 said:
JFK was the most inspirational for me. I almost joined the Peace Corps before he was assassinated. LBJ was a good president, if one can look beyond Vietnam, but didn't have the "magic" of Kennedy...
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President Kennedy was an inspiring man. The peace Corps is a laudible aspiration. For awhile in my twenties, I wanted to go to India to work with Mother Teresa, but I chose to be practical. She was an inspiring woman.
 
Paul Watson, Captain of the Sea Shepherd inspires me. His total and selfless dedication to saving whales and whale families from a terrible death is remarkable.

Also a woman named Alice Makarurinda who was attacked by a man in Rwanda during that genocide as she hid with her baby in a swamp. He found her, killed her baby and sliced off her right arm with his machete. Later, after the frenzy of killing had ended, the man turned himself in to police, spent a number of years in prison and when released, he went to find her to apologize and possibly seek forgiveness (if she'd give it to him). Well long story short, she did forgive him and now they work in a charitable foundation together, trying to bring the nation together. I think her ability to forgive is not only amazing to contemplate but a lesson to all of us who have much lesser 'hurts' to get over.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/...is-woma_n_5105471.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular
 
My husband for many reasons. He never runs from trouble or anyone or any situation where people need help, he's handled all his health issues in a positive manner, he's overcome a really horrible childhood without turning into a bitter person. On the other hand, he is the one who told me a few years ago I reminded him of a Chatty Cathy doll with a broken string so maybe I should just delete this. I can't think of anyone else though.
 
Debby said:
Paul Watson, Captain of the Sea Shepherd inspires me. His total and selfless dedication to saving whales and whale families from a terrible death is remarkable.

Also a woman named Alice Makarurinda who was attacked by a man in Rwanda during that genocide as she hid with her baby in a swamp. He found her, killed her baby and sliced off her right arm with his machete. Later, after the frenzy of killing had ended, the man turned himself in to police, spent a number of years in prison and when released, he went to find her to apologize and possibly seek forgiveness (if she'd give it to him). Well long story short, she did forgive him and now they work in a charitable foundation together, trying to bring the nation together. I think her ability to forgive is not only amazing to contemplate but a lesson to all of us who have much lesser 'hurts' to get over.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/...is-woma_n_5105471.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular
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That's a beautiful story Debby. Thanks for sharing it. I'm going to remember Alice Makarurinda. Letting go of anger is so much better than festering with it. Her life is a perfect example of that.
 
Linda said:
My husband for many reasons. He never runs from trouble or anyone or any situation where people need help, he's handled all his health issues in a positive manner, he's overcome a really horrible childhood without turning into a bitter person. On the other hand, he is the one who told me a few years ago I reminded him of a Chatty Cathy doll with a broken string so maybe I should just delete this. I can't think of anyone else though.
Click to expand...

Linda, that's a lovely compliment to pay your husband. I hope he appreciates you!
 

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