Inspirations/role models

We did this thread ages ago and I can't find it so I thought I would start a fresh one!

What or who inspires you/is your role model or has inspired you in the past?

My role model /inspiration was definitely my father. He strived so hard in his life. Pretty much ignored as a child by his parents he had to work from 5 years old in the family newsagent business and he managed to get to Grammer School where he started his first empire - used to run to Dudley every lunch time and buy snacks then run back and sell them for double the price in the playground! He trained as a engineer/draughtsman and worked his way up to become chief engineer and draughtsman in charge of about 250 people before the 70's saw the firm struggle and many redundancies. He wasn't made redundant but he left and he started his own successful engineering businesses and helped some of the people who were made redundant start businesses too. In his 40's he started to fall over and struggle to walk. They thought he had a brain tumour but it turned out to be Multiple Sclerosis. He still made it to work every day, refused to move from his office and struggled up about 12 steps to get there every day. He managed to keep walking with the help of sticks and later a frame. He used a wheelchair for longer walks. I remember one day hearing someone comment that they had never seen such a happy man in a wheelchair before. He died at the age of 58 from a massive stroke but managed to fight his way to live a whole day after it before he was taken away from us. Every time I feel sorry for myself I remind myself of that wonderful man who I was lucky enough to have as a father.

I would have to go with my stepmom, Peggy. She was great! Highly intelligent, fun, told you like it is kinda girl. She toured Eurpoe alone in her early 20's and was afraid of nothing. She was more of a mom than a stepmom...picked up where my mom left off! Sadly she died at a very young age...43...will be 7 years ago and I miss her dearly.

Batman!  but i keep getting laughed at for wearing my underwear on the outside!!

ok seriously ....obviously my parents most of all.

But also my friend used to be a paramedic, he really introduced me to it, and got me interested, and then he killed himself! not nice, but he helped me get me to where i am now.

One of my best mates Jason, he's also a paramedic, and has inspired me for years now, used to work with him and he is the best i've seen at the job, i would never be half as good, but it gives me something to aim at!!

I'm sure i could think of loads more, so i'll add to it as i do!! 

My dad too, Stephanie.  He raised us 5 kids on his own after my mom died, I was the oldest and only 12 when she died.  My dad was quiet in his child rearing, but firm.  He would do funny stuff, like answer the phone if it rang during dinner and say, "They're eating." the hang up before even finding out who it was.  (It was always for one of us).  He was very affectionate to us all and was always there for us.  He took us for drives nearly every Sunday, played games with us.  He worked construction and when he would come home filthy dirty, he'd say it was "clean dirt" but left us to learn for ourselves once we grew up what he meant.  He was a very loving guy.  He died in 2000 from colon cancer at age 70.  By the time he died, I'd been living 2,500 miles away from him for 18 years, so I regret that we lived so far apart all those years. 

I can just see you pulling up in the "Camper Van Bat mobile" Jason - or should that be Scooby Doo? ! 

Great inspirational people and I have so enjoyed reading about them - isn't it amazing how many of us are inspired by our parents. Hope my boys feel like that about us when they grow up!

I think I did this once, well parents always insprire, so does an good teacher and good freinds as well, but I enjoyed talking to my great aunt an lot, she was an world traveller, knew many people in the world news daily. It was always interesting to know what she was doing in her life. Her whole generation of borthers and sisters (my grandfather) were people worked themselves up in life and made something of themselves, You could say they took us from the pioneer days into the age of industrialization in ways. Only computers can say they have upped the world circumstances in this era in reguard to technology .They had trains, from horse, and cars from buggy's  also, and airplanes...the telegraph, from Pony express riders and electricty....from keroscene lamps...pretty amazing.

My maternal grandfather, Jack. I spent far too little time with him (My mother, who we now believe may have suffered with paranoid schizophrenia, kept us isolated from most all family members and we moved homes and even towns repeatedly). 

My brief times with my grandfather were the highlight of my life. He always had time for me, and where others would ridicule and accuse me of being too serious, he encouraged my love of history and travel, as well as my self-studies of spirituality and philosophy.

But mostly, it was the laughter I craved. He was always ready with a joke and I was forever laughing when I was with him. In a childhood where there was little to smile about, I cherished those moments of laughter and collected them like fire-flies in a mason jar.