Stories of Kindness from Around the World

I wanted to share with everyone the never ending love that I have experienced from my mother.

Besides the fact that she loves me and all of her children, grandchildren and friends unconditionally, she still finds time to give to strangers as well.

She was 'forced' in to early retirement by my father who decided at age 57 he had had enough of working and that his wife should also give up work to spend her days with him. This didn't go down too well with a women who at 55 had worked the majority of her life and as her two children and 7 gandchildren didn't live in the same city as her, what was she to do? She played golf and 'played' ladies for about 12 months but felt dissatisfied with that lifestyle.

So several years ago, she began volunteering with an organisation in Australia called RSL Care. She takes 'old' ladies and gentlemen who have no family (that care)  shopping to the doctor, hairdressers, card mornings, anywhere they need to go. The old ladies (as mum affectionally calls them) have grown to love my mother for her caring attitude and her compassionate shoulder to lean on.

But more than that, my mother loves to do it. She lost her elderly mother many years ago and she sees a little bit of her mother and father in every one of these people. Her days are filled with driving her friends everywhere, picking up, dropping off, waiting, chatting, listening and laughing.

So not only does she have unconditional love for her children and grandchildren, and every drama that comes with families, she finds more love tucked down there somewhere for total strangers that are in need of her care. I find that very inspirational.

And so at age 63 this wonderful lady has just enrolled externally to obtain a Cert III in Aged Care so that she can be of more assistance to these people adding bathing and respite care to her already full schedule.

I can only hope that I have inherited her incredible spirit and I am able to give as unconditionally as her.