Inspiring person. There is one person who has been an inspiration to me since I met her in 1985. She is my age and grew up near me, though we never met until we were women. I haven't seen or spoken to her in 5 or more years, but she is still an inspiration to me when I think of her. We called her Val. Through the years, I have watched her go after the things that are important to her as an individual and she has always kept 'others' as one of her main focuses. She is happily married to a great guy and they have 4 grown children, but she has suffered from bouts of deep depression often in her life. Early on, she told me about her brother's suicide and how her own mother shrunk from life for several years after that. Val's youngest son was born with a defect to his right arm due to a negligent obstetrician and laborious delivery. Her daughter married an abusive man and endured an ugly divorce soon after. Some of her other family members stole money and land from each other causing a chasm that is irreparable. Being the person she was, these things affected her deeply. During those times, when she struggled with things, she would take a new path for a while. Val has always been devout in her faith and has donated thousands of hours in the service of others. She has researched and written the history of her hometown. She has learned Tagalog. She was active in our community volunteering on boards and committees and even ran for public office. To look at her you'd never expect that she had any of that inside her. She's a quiet, pale, slender woman with thin grey hair, deep brown eyes. But she has humble confidence. She is tenacious, she is loyal and she just never quits. Most people who know her, love her or want to be her.
Her name is Valerie and she is my inspiration.
I can't find a photo in my vast archive of un-filed photos and snapshots. But, there is this one that I found of their wedding announcement in the local paper from years ago.
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