My hero

After 12 years of marriage, my parents went their separate ways.....I was the oldest of 4 siblings and way too young to understand why it happened, and still way too young to be strong enough for the violent current of conflicting emotions that followed suit, all through my teens and well into early adulthood.
From that time till now, I have had many heroes,....from family members to friends. From Mother Teresa to Mrs Thatcher (former PM of the UK).....The strength and inner comfort I got from all these different people have varied...from autobiographies to acts of kindness, from inspirational quotes to heartbreaking stories. I have obtained my strength from so many people in many different ways.

Today, my hero is Nelson Mandela. I read his autobiography over the weekend and I wasn't able to put the book down. To be honest, the politics side of things didnt really get me going but how he handled the turbulence because of his beliefs really struck a chord in my heart. Here is a man who was in prison for nearly three (3) decades. He still came out unbroken, still rooting for the freedom of his people. His motivation was based on the greater good and not once did I detect a tone of selfishness. I felt his compelling force for something greater than himself. I cried when I read about how his daughter read a powerful speech on his behalf whilst he was in prison, stating why he couldnt accept freedom that was being offered at the time by the government because he believed others comrades in prison and exile deserved it more. I could go on and on about him but Im just going to summarise what reading about him, made me put my life in perspective:

That there are others out there who have it worse off than you.
Never stop believing in yourself.
That when we start doing things for a greater good, our soul really does sing.
Anything is possible.

I love Nelson Mandela. He is my hero and he is an inspiration