Been sitting here on the sofa watching the Olympics, while the grands are at school, searching for inspiration. Actually been pondering on the word inspiration while I’m inspired by the dedication of the Olympic athletes and their parents. I think God inspires us through the Holy Spirit, influencing us to give hope to others, guiding us through our daily lives with light and love. Inspiration helps us act with compassion and helps us find peace. Lots of things inspire me and lots of people are inspirational in my thoughts and in my life. Inspiration can be found anywhere and any time.

My nephew Nate is at the top of my list for people who inspire me. Every time something scares me or I think I can’t accomplish something, I think of Nate. The little showers in my life that scare me are nothing compared to the medical storms he’s endured. Nate had a battle with A Plastic Anemia with Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria in the fall of his senior year of high school. Endured chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant and through it all managed to keep up with his calculus. Calculus! Even when you feel good you don’t enjoy Calculus! Got to admire someone who endures chemo and still has the wherewithal to get up out of his hospital bed and keep up with his class work to the point where he was named Validictorian of his senior class.

I never saw him without a smile on his face or without an attitude of “I got this!” He spent months in the hospital, months in quarantine, and months on a handful of medication everyday. His illness started off with a brain bleed during a high school football game in 2020. Today he is a senior at Auburn University, studying in the honors program, making 100 on his organismal biology quiz, deciding where he’ll attend medical school. Got to admire that! His mother’s bravery and support during this time in his life inspired me too. She was with him every step of the way, in every way. When things would take a wrong turn she never gave up and was by his side 24 hours a day as he struggled on his journey to wellness. She graciously let him go alone as he began Auburn University, stretching his wings, making his way in the world, secure in the knowledge that God and his prayer warriors brought them to this place in life. I watched him stand behind a podium a few weeks ago, calm and collected as he spoke to a basketball gym full of high school students of his path to wellness and the need to support victims of illness, encouraging students to donate blood, to register as potential bone marrow donors, to donate their hair to Locks of Love. You just watch, Nate will make his mark on the world.

My grandson Alexander inspires me, too. He was diagnosed with Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis in 2012 when he was almost three. He’s now a healthy 16 year old young man. The illness caused him to lose the use of his arms. During his hospital stay, I never entered his hospital room that he wasn’t smiling sweetly. He’d thank the doctors and nurses for helping him. He’d fall down and just use his head like a little inch worm to get back up. Several years of physical and occupational therapy helped him regain the use of his arms. The neurologist said Alexander would be able to drive a car and hold a baby but never play sports. Now a sophomore in high school, he’s driving and thriving with life. He’s played soccer, run track, been on a swim team. He plays mellophone in the marching band, French horn in the symphonic band. He’s an Eagle Scout. He has a sweet smile and knows he’s here for a purpose. Like Nate, Alexander will leave this world a better place. He has the greatest outlook on life. Always cheerful and happy like he subconsciously knows he was given a second chance at life. My daughter-in-law inspires me, too. During Alexander’s illness she was a rock to my son Thomas and dedicated herself to Alexander’s recovery. I’m so proud of her and her Christian faith. She takes such loving care of my son Thomas and their children.

I’m also inspired by the school teachers in my family. The world is a hard place to grow up these days and school teachers have so many roles to fulfill in the classroom. It’s not just about teaching a subject. I know my nieces are inspirations to their students and strive to make learning a fun adventure. They are rays of sunshine and possibly the only happy face in the lives of some of their students. I’m so proud of them.

My dearest friend Linda inspires me with her caring and dedication to all her friends and family, both young and old. She’s never learned to say, “No,” or “I can’t.” She never thinks of herself but always has others and their needs on her priority list. She quietly goes through her life serving others, never tooting her horn as she stretches her angel wings. That’s true inspiration to me.

God inspires biblical scripture that guides and empowers the faithful, words that give us strength and courage. Job 32:8 reads, “But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.” We read in Isaiah 40:31, “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

It takes lots of self discipline and dedication to aspire to the goals you have in life. Inspiration helps us to be creative and boosts our happiness. There are so many ways to be inspired by life’s blessings. I’m inspired by people who aren’t afraid to take chances and make bold decisions. Self inspiration helps us motivate ourselves. Learn what motivates and inspires you. As Lao Tzu said, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

“If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way.” —Martin Luther King, Jr.