08-04-2013, 04:58 PM
11
Re: Any one thing
One of my closest friends has had the biggest influence on my life. We were away together one weekend when she was suddenly struck down with a brain tumour, and I mean suddenly, she had just driven us 250 miles. 8 months of hell followed, if I wasn't at work I was with her, at one point she said to me ".......whatever you plan on doing do it now whilst you can, if you hadn't ducked when you did that little arrow would have hit you not me". Those words have never left me and I really took them to heart. After her funeral I packed up my job, we sold the house and we went off to Africa, from Africa to Spain and here we still are. I have no regrets, I learnt an awful lot along the way about many things and many of my views on life changed drastically. I have my friend to thank for the life I now lead, so I guess she was the biggest influence in my life.
13-04-2013, 09:01 AM
15
Re: Any one thing
Apologies, I start a thread and then disappear! Well I didn't, one of the greatest influences on my life came with her family, my daughter! That is children do become one of the greatest influences on your life.Loretta I was so touched by your story and Jem your grandmother sounds beautiful.
I too have been touched by experiences that have left me viewing the world quite differently. I thought I had a healthy outlook until I was with the VSO in Ethiopia and after that I have never viewed life the same again. I appreciate everything, I know that I can live with very little in life and every day is special. Some of the things that I saw have left graphic pictures in my memory that I would like to erase however I cannot, they stay.
Another influence was my mum, not because she was wonderful, quite the opposite; I learned how to be a reasonably good mum from my experiences with a mum who was not pleasant. So I thank my mum.
13-04-2013, 11:03 AM
18
Re: Any one thing
For me, like Jem, it was my paternal grandmother (Granny Edie - as we called her). She was a tiny, quiet-spoken, birdlike figure whose appearance completely belied her steely character, strength and determination. She was born "beneath stairs," had no formal education and spent her early life as a scullery maid for the local farmer in the "big house." It was there that she met my granddad and after the appropriate courting period, they were married and lived together in a tied cottage (my granddad was a farm labourer). My granddad went into the army during the 1st World War and when he came out he found that there was no longer a job for him and that my granny had been evicted from her cottage (so much for homes fit for heroes) and had been doing three jobs in order to pay the rent on a run down cottage in the village. After a few years, when they had achieved a stable standard of living they decided to start a family. Unfortunately my dad was born with severely deformed legs and ankles. My grandparents were told that my dad would be crippled for life and would never have a normal life. My granny - a little, uneducated, poor working class woman - decided that she would not settle for that and started a campaign to get treatment for my dad. She had never been out of the village in her life before this, but she began to make weekly journeys to London to see specialists and literally browbeat them into listening to her and offering solutions. Her determination and refusal to take no for an answer convinced them to treat my dad as a test case. At five years old, he had a series of operations to put things right and by the age of 8 he was running around with his friends (albeit with the aid of "leg irons" to support his still fragile bones). At the age of 13 he dispensed with the leg irons and took up football. By the time he was 19, he was graded A1 and joined the Navy. From then to the end of his life he was physically normal in every way - 100% thanks to my granny's unending devotion and determination to see him better. After the war, she started work in a local factory and worked until she was 73. All the while she was working full time, she was also caring for my granddad, who came down with bowel cancer in the late '50's and who came very close to death before being saved by a colostomy.Despite all the hardships and tragedies in her life, she was always cheerful and always positive - for her there was no problem which couldn't be "fixed" by hard work and determination. She was an amazing role model and taught us kids so many life lessons that we have benefitted from.
13-04-2013, 12:56 PM
19
Re: Any one thing
Mick - your post brought tears to my eyes. Granny Edie and her like, are the women I admire and aspire to - I'm the same build as her and people cant believe how forthright I am for a cause. I dont always succeed, but that will 'never' stop me trying....'She' was a 'good 'un - thats for sure, I'm glad her influence transferred to you...
17-04-2013, 04:37 PM
20
Re: Any one thing
Despite all the hardships and tragedies in her life, she was always cheerful and always positive - for her there was no problem which couldn't be "fixed" by hard work and determination. She was an amazing role model and taught us kids so many life lessons that we have benefitted from.A truly moving tribute MickB.
| Thread Tools | |
|
|
