Inspirational People

 

 

My Mum had a gentle nature, so loving, softly spoken and a heart as big as The Grand Canyon.

She not only  nurtured me....Cared for me....And loved me unconditionally, every word or action was a classroom  to life......I could not have wished for a better role model.

She guided me to know right from wrong.....Instilled confidence that I could achieve anything in life.

Taught me manners and always make time & care for those less fortunate.

She shared her limited life experiences,so that I would not make the same mistakes ( that one didn't work too well, he-he!)

Trust in my instincts, they will never lead me astray.

When life throws you some curved balls, you just pick yourself up and keep going.

Most of allshe taught me to always be myself.

Everyday I miss her warm kisses,  loving hugs & those three little words "I Love You"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBtFTF2ii7U

www.maniacworld.com/are-you-going-to-finish-strong.html 

Wish me luck I have not idea if this is going to work.... This is an amazing uplifting piece... brought tears to my eyes...

Sir Edmund Hillary is perhaps best known as the first man to conquer Mt Everest along with sherpa Tensing Norgay in 1953, (which was amazing when you look at the primitive gear they used in those days).

images.google.com/imgres

Sir Edmund was in the army prior to his climb and had amazing adventrues at the South Pole and visited the North Pole after his success.  He lectured around the world, acted as a tour guide on flights to Antartica and became a huge advocate for the Himalayan region and improving the education, infrastructure and accessibility of the villages, as well as cleaning it up.

Hillary and Norgay 1953

I recently read his autobiography and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  He showed that any man (or woman) can achieve great things... They just need to TRY them.  He also suffered great tragedy and it showed a very vulnerable and sad part if his nature, which isn't usually expressed in stories about great heros, (which to me he is).   Closest to my heart, he is a kiwi and he epitomises the adventurous spirit that resides in Aoteroa.

She is also known as 'The Woman Who Changed a Nation'

I apologize for the cut and paste but I don't have time to write something myself and wanted to share this womans story...anyway, the following  infois from the website 'GRANDtimes'

When Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man forty years ago on December 1, 1955, she was tired and weary from a long day of work.

At least that's how the event has been retold countless times and recorded in our history books. But, there's a misconception here that does not do justice to the woman whose act of courage began turning the wheels of the civil rights movement on that fateful day.

Rosa Parks was physically tired, but no more than you or I after a long day's work. In fact, under other circumstances, she would have probably given up her seat willingly to a child or elderly person. But this time Parks was tired of the treatment she and other African Americans received every day of their lives, what with the racism, segregation, and Jim Crow laws of the time.

"Our mistreatment was just not right, and I was tired of it," writes Parks in her recent book, Quiet Strength, (ZondervanPublishingHouse, 1994). "I kept thinking about my mother and my grandparents, and how strong they were. I knew there was a possibility of being mistreated, but an opportunity was being given to me to do what I had asked of others."

The rest of Parks' story is American history...her arrest and trial, a 381-day Montgomery bus boycott, and, finally, the Supreme Court's ruling in November 1956 that segregation on transportation is unconstitutional.

But Parks' personal history has been lost in the retelling. Prior to her arrest, Mrs. Parks had a firm and quiet strength to change things that were unjust. She served as secretary of the NAACP and later Adviser to the NAACP Youth Council, and tried to register to vote on several occasions when it was still nearly impossible to do so. She had run-ins with bus drivers and was evicted from buses. Parks recalls the humiliation: "I didn't want to pay my fare and then go around the back door, because many times, even if you did that, you might not get on the bus at all. They'd probably shut the door, drive off, and leave you standing there."

Forty years later, despite some tremendous gains, Parks feels, "we still have a long way to go in improving the race relations in this country."

Rosa Parks spends most of her year in Detroit but winters in Los Angeles. Her day is filled with reading mail,-"from students, politicians, and just regular people"-preparing meals, going to church, and visiting people in hospitals. She is still active in fighting racial injustices, now standing up for what she believes in and sharing her message with others. She and other members of the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self-Development have a special program called Pathways to Freedom, for young people age 11-18. Children in the program travel across the country tracing the Underground Railroad, visiting the scenes of critical events in the civil rights movement and learning aspects of America's history.

Says Elaine Steele, Parks' close friend and cofounder of the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self-Development, "Mrs. Parks is a role model that these students look up to, and they feel very honored and privileged to be in her company. And she's very gracious to accompany the students to these activities."

February, Black History Month, seemed a relevant time to evaluate youth and their sense of history. But Parks thinks bigger and broader. "We don't have enough young people who are concerned and who are exposed to the civil rights movement, and I would like to see more exposure and get their interest," she says, pausing to reflect, "but I think it should just be history, period, and not thinking in terms of only Black History Month."

Parks is quiet, soft-spoken, and diplomatic. But she is firm in her belief that enough people will have the courage and dedication to make this country better than it is. "And this young man that's taking over the NAACP, Kweisi Mfume, I admire him a great deal," she adds. About Louis Farrakhan, the leader of the Black Muslims, she says, "Well, I don't know him personally, but I think it was great that he spearheaded the million man march."

Parks has met many renowned leaders and has traveled throughout the world receiving honors and awards for her efforts toward racial harmony. She is appreciative and honored by them but exhibits little emotion over whom she has met or what she has done. Her response to being called "the Mother of the Civil Rights Movement" is modest. "If people think of me in that way, I just accept the honor and appreciate it," she says. In Quiet Strength, however, Parks is careful to explain that she did not change things alone. "Four decades later I am still uncomfortable with the credit given to me for starting the bus boycott. I would like [people] to know I was not the only person involved. I was just one of many who fought for freedom."

In August 1994, Parks was attacked in her home by a young man who wanted money from her. Of the event, she writes, "I pray for this young man and the conditions in our country that have made him this way. Despite the violence and crime in our society, we should not let fear overwhelm us. We must remain strong."

Parks' belief in God and her religious convictions are at the core of everything she does. It is the overriding theme in her book and the message she hopes to impart: "I'd like for [readers] to know that I had a very spiritual background and that I believe in church and my faith and that has helped to give me the strength and courage to live as I did."

Champion of the Australian and New Zealand bush / mountains, Dot was an amazing, strong, fit, vibrant woman.  She lived in, and loved areas close to my heart, the Blue Mountains and surrounding areas, the mountains of the South Island in New Zealand, and eventually she built a residence in my favourite Sydney suburb to live in - Wahroonga. 

Dorothy pioneered climbs on many peaks, both as a climber in general, and as a woman.  She clambered and rode through the Blue Mountains long before they were even mapped clearly.  Her adventurous spirit and never say die attitude are very inspirational, and she has inspired me to get my bike wheel fixed and get pedaling.

The fact that she continued her adventures, and education throughout her married life, and as a mother is what I liked the most, and she passed her love of nature on to her children.  She also traveled internationally, and climbed abroad, I really enjoyed reading about her, and was surprised that I hadn't heard of her before. 

Thanks to Jaydee's NannaTerri for guiding me toward another great read, about a wonderful Australian woman:  The Barefoot Bush Walker: A Remarkable Story of Adventure, Courage and Romance

Dot continued climbing until a ripe old age, unfortunately, she passed away earlier this year, this obituary in the SMH pays respect to her.

Blue Mountains; NSW Australia 

(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b9/Blue_Mountains,_Australia.jpg/800px-Blue_Mountains,_Australia.jpg)

Aoraki / Mount Cook; Sth Isl. New Zealand

(http://www.peakware.com/photos/53h.jpg)

I just read an article about a woman called Pearl Cornioley who was initially classed as not having the qualities to be a good leader during WW2. Later on in WWII she led a troop of 3000 French Resistance fighters.

I think it just goes to show that even if people think you can't do something, if in your heart and mind you believe you can do it, you can do whatever it is you want to do.

She was recommended for the Military Cross but was ineligible because she was a woman. She was offered a Civil MBE but refused it because she thought it was unjust. Later on she received a proper MBE.

One of the people who I think is really inspirational (and someone I truly admire) is Oprah Winfrey. Whether you love her or hate her, you have to admit that she turned a really horrible situation into a fantastic situation, and that's something that we should all admire.

When she was younger, she was both sexually and physically abused. But unlike a lot of people in this situation, she turned these negatives into positives to try and change the world to make it a better place.

I think it's fantastic that she is a great representation of someone from a minority group which have previously (or maybe even still, in some minds)  been opressed. It just goes to show that when you put your mind to something, you can achieve anything.

Some of the great work she has done is to highlight causes where people who may have felt alone previously, don't feel as alone when they find someone who is a guest on their show who has been (or still is) in a similar situation to theirs. These include segments on health, spirituality, personal development, money, raising awareness about abuse and paedophilia, etc. I think it's amazing in the paedophile segment that they actually managed to catch people who had a long history of sexual abuse. So it just goes to show that when people all work together for a common goal, we can all achieve something great!

There are so many wonderful women and men on Minti and online in general. Parents who appreciate life, all it has to offer and 'put it out there', share their journey in life and their experiences to help us travel on our own path through life. 

The writing of these people, (below), picks me up from sulk valley, and makes me want to climb the mountain of dreams again, jump from the top and fly. It reminds me to stop and smell the flowers along the way, and marvel at all the beauty we take for granted.

I remember to imagine the best outcomes, and dream big, for we are what we think and we are the answer to our own problems.  Ask the right questions of yourself, and you will provide yourself with better solutions than anyone else can. 

I realise that no matter what anyone else may think, it is up to us to define who we are, and the legacy we are creating. I look at that little reflection myself and see his needs are so simple, and from the simplest things he derives the greatest joy.  Life should be full of joy, and it really is simple - if we let it be.

After reading their blogs, and immersing myself in their outlook, I feel refreshed, and renewed.  I laugh, I commiserate, I sometimes shed a tear... These people aren't perfect, neither are their lives - but reading their different view of the world  is perfect tonic for me.

I have blogs bookmarked, and one of the folders, 'Balmy Blogs' contains Blogs That Make Life Better.  I have just added a new one to the list, and it is that of our new member Jen; faceitwithagrin, and also her other blog  The Comfy Place.  A life that is less than perfect; I recommend that you 'meet' this special new member, you will be enriching your life and hers.

If you feel like some more embracing reading, try some of our long term members - just in case you have found them already.

jenlemen - for her beautiful blogs and art work

tracey - lovely blogs and fantastic photography

janicepovey - this woman is minti personified

marglr - paints glorious pictures of nature with her words

Frontier - a great dad who stepped up to the plate

Izzy - down to earth, someone who is easy to relate to

There are so many marvellous Minti Mums and Dads, however these people have 'some sort of wonderful' and I personally find them inspirational, and full of light.

 

She's was an Aussie and you can read about her here

Sara was the face for breast cancer for years - until her passing in 2005...

She also wrote three books the one that impacted upon me was her book “From Strength to Strength” which was awarded with Australian Book of the Year title....

Sara Henderson's story helped me when I lost my own husband and I found a strength in her that I was able to use for myself....she is and was an Aussie Icon..

Ok, that's me for today...