inspire and be inspired

My grandmother passed away the other week. She was old, and she was ill, and it was what she wanted. She had a long, impressive life – she did, saw and learned so many things. It was time.
Still it’s very, very sad.

I’ve always been so impressed with her. She inspired me. She was what I aspire to be – successful in love, family and home as well as in career, studies and personal dreams. Oh how I wish I had even half of her authority, her confidence to go for what she wanted, her courage to live true to herself and her feminist views.
She was born in a time when women where expected to do little more than cook, clean and have babies. Still, she followed her own heart – studied, travelled, married ‘late’ out of love. She did all that She wanted, never the doormat or people pleaser, while still having many kids and a long, happy marriage (50+ years).
She was a matriarch; one of the strongest women I have ever met. I am very grateful I had the chance to know her and be inspired by her. I will miss her. And maybe on day, I’ll find the courage to live a little bit more like her.

Inspiration can come from the most unexpected sources…found this in a IKEA catalogue:

“Do you live in a house or a home?

Are you in it for the money or the love?

Do you think you’ll be happy when you move?
Or are you happy now?

Does it give you financial security or emotional warmth?

Does it make you feel like you are getting somewhere?
Or does it make you feel like you are there now?

If it could talk, could it tell anyone what your favourite colour is?

When your little boy draws a plane on the wall,
do you reach for the paint roller
or grab another crayon and draw a rocket?

Is it perfect?
Or is it real, and still perfect?

Do you keep it as empty as possible to create space,
or do you fill it with all the people and things you enjoy the most?

Do you look in estate agent’s windows?
Or do you look in your own window and think ‘how lovely’?

Are you constantly monitoring its price
or are you measuring its occupants’ heights
on the back of the bathroom door?_

What’s the most important thing you put into it,
two fifths of your salary
or your life and soul?

What’s the most important thing you’ll get out?
A profit?
Or a treasure trove of memories that’ll never ever go down in value but always up.

It’s not too late.
A house can always become a home.
Love, not money.
That’s what gives a home a soul.
And a home’s soul is NOT FOR SALE.”

‘Home is the most important place in the world’ – IKEA

The Women’s Media Center in America has created Progressive Women’s Voices, a training and support programme for “talented, informed, progressive women who are willing to speak out about the issues that matter; women who are interested in joining an amazing group of dynamic, engaged women who are interested in changing the world as we know it through the lens of the media.”.
While I am not living in America, nor old and successful enough to participate in anything like this, it is a truly inspiring programme, and reading about the women involved so far makes me want to go out and conquer the world :)

check out: http://www.womensmediacenter.com/progressive_womens_voices.html

and read about it on the fantastic blog Girl with Pen: http://girlwithpen.blogspot.com/2008/03/progressive-womens-voices-is-changing.html

I found this on the wonderful blog Goodness Graciousness (http://goodnessgraciousness.blogspot.com). It is part of an entry about making Christmas more authentic but I think it can, and should, be an inspiration for all times of gifts and giving. It certainly made me think.

“I’m guessing most folks in the modern world sense that present giving is out of control. What was once a time for sharing tokens of care and love has become a time of gluttony, greed, and unrealistic and expensive expectations.

While children find Christmas morning one of joy and wonder as they open their beautifully wrapped presents we want the season to represent something more. We want the season to represent the goodness of life, the wonder of our world, and the beauty of each other.

We decided to continue with gift-giving with a few specific guidelines. We would only give gifts that would bless the lives of the recipient and add goodness to the world.

For young children, we attempt to give gifts that stimulate their creativity, strengthen their self esteem, and increase their connection to all of life.

For older children, grown family members, and loved ones, gifts are given to create wonderful memories of togetherness, unite us with the world, and inspire and uplift each other.”

I found this wonderful story in a inspiring blog,
Goodness Graciousness (http://goodnessgraciousness.blogspot.com/).

Read it and be inspired by the fantastic humanity and love some people actually possess. Some people are truly inspiring…

‘Last night I attended the wedding shower of a friend. I sat by an older woman, nearing eighty; a family friend of the soon-to-be bride.This gentle woman spoke of a great-grand son, a boy of fifteen. A boy who calls her a few times a week to tell her of his high school activities. In the midst of the conversation she stated that this wonderful teenager was not actually her biological great-grand son but she became his grandmother at his birth.I was a bit confused and asked her to share more.

This kind woman told the story of how she became the great-grandmother of this boy… a story that will stay in my heart for some time to come.While this boy was yet unborn, his unmarried mother claimed the grandson of my new elderly friend was the father of her child.The mother was addicted to various substances and her life was unhealthy in all respects. She found herself pregnant and wanted a father in the life of her child so picked the grandson of my friend as the possible father.A paternity test was taken and it turned out that indeed the grandson was not the father of this unborn child.

But, along the way, my new elderly friend, came to know the circumstances of this mother and her unborn child. There was not a father in the picture. There were no grandparents. There was an unhealthy mother with little ability to support, care, or nurture this new little life about to enter the world.

My friend, decided that this little baby would need someone… a grandmother.So, she volunteered.

At the time of the birth, she was there in the hospital welcoming into our world, this new little baby boy; loving a child who had little chance of having a good life.Now fifteen years later, this grandmother has been the support, and the one light in this boys life.

The boy’s life has not been easy. At eleven he was removed from his mother’s custody and placed with a relative. But throughout his fifteen years, his great-grandmother was there. She is the secure, stable, mature adult in his life.

It is his great-grandmother whose love is constant, consistent, and unalterable.I can’t really put into words the emotions that come to me as I relate this story.

A women in her late sixties, seeing a baby who is born into an unhealthy situation, knowing the baby will need someone to love him, decides she will become his great grandmother.

There truly are amazing people in this world.’

‘DailyGood is a free, daily email service that delivers a little bit of inspiring goodness to 60,896 people without any costs, advertising or agendas. Simply to spread the good.’

This is such a lovely newsletter…it tells shortly about people who are really making a difference (with the option to click a link and read more). It makes you see how many unselfish, giving, loving people who are doing what they can to change things bit by bit…truly inspiring. I’ve got to know about so many admirable people through this, including Professor Pausch. If you don’t want to subscribe, you can read the archive on the net too.

http://www.dailygood.org/

Check out: http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB119024238402033039.html

Professor Randy Pausch of Carnegie Mellon University gave a lecture on the theme: What wisdom would we impart to the world if we knew it was our last chance? Unfortunately, it’s not just an academic exercise for Dr Pausch. The 46-year-old father of three has pancreatic cancer and is expected to live for just a few months. His lecture was a rollicking and riveting journey through the lessons of his life.

It’s very sad to think this seeming healthy man is in fact dying, but the message is truly inspirational and it will make you think. If you’ve got the time, check out http://www.etc.cmu.edu/global_news/?q=node/42 where you will find the full lecture.

The book ‘What should I do with my life – the true story of people who answered the ultimate question’ by Po Bronson is something I truly recommend. It’s soo inspiring!
It’s not a self-help book in anyway, it doesn’t help you figure out what to actually do with your life…but the tells the stories of ordinary people figuring out what they really want to do/accomplish/be, some very late in life, some very early, some fail, some succeed beyond anyone’s imagination…all of these stories are fantastic and the make you really think about your own life.
Such a lovely book. Read it!!

I read about this wonderful woman in a Sunday newspaper magazine the other week. I pulled it out and saved it as well, because it really inspired me.

Rose Hacker, 101 years old. She says she’s got false teeth, a sore gum, needs hearing aids and forgets things a lot…but she never forgets how lucky she is. She’s lived through two world wars. She’s a socialist and a humanist, and says the most evil thing is fundamentalism and nationalism combined. She used to do marriage-guidance councelling and found that unconsummated marriages was the biggest problem. She hates smoking, but she has a drink every day without fail. She carried on dating til she was 90. She’s an optimist and she loves music and hugs. She does Tai Chi for energy. And she says love is the key to everything.

What a wonderful, inspirational woman. I’m happy if I turn out even half as wise as her. I’ve got plenty of time, I’m barely 24 :)

Just found something I thought was really inspiring, and a wonderful way to be an inspiration even after you’re gone:

“ETHICAL WILLS:
Preserving Your Legacy of Values

Ethical wills are a way to share your values, blessings, life’s lessons, hopes and dreams for the future, love, and forgiveness with your family, friends, and community.

Ethical wills are not new. The Hebrew Bible first described ethical wills 3000 years ago (Genesis Ch. 49). References to this tradition are also found in the Christian Bible (John Ch. 15-18) and in other cultures. Initially, ethical wills were transmitted orally. Over time, they evolved into written documents. ‘Ethical wills’ are not considered legal documents as compared to ‘living wills’ and your ‘last will and testament’ which are legal documents.

Today, ethical wills are being written by people at turning points and transitions in their lives and when facing challenging life situations. They are usually shared with family and community while the writer is still alive.

Ethical wills may be one of the most cherished and meaningful gifts you can leave to your family and community.”

Want to know more? Check out http://www.ethicalwill.com