Beautiful Soul

I met a wonderful woman as a positive side effect of a psychology assignment yesterday. in order to complete a project I had to interview a - to me previously unknown - elder by asking questions about her life, expectations, and surprises. even though the woman started us out a little scruffy ("all of us are here [assisted living facility] are waiting to die"), we embarked on an incredible voyage through her life shortly thereafter; all the while cat Sara circled around us. my interviewee blew me away - she openly discussed fears, challenges and beauty of her life, which - to say the least - contained intense times. raped at age eleven, daughter of a manic-depressive mother and a disturbingly unsupportive father she married her "highschool-sweetheart" once she turned eighteen. they had three children. by the time she was 34 (and their children 10, 11, and 12) her husband died of a virus within two weeks. the woman went back to school (this is in the early seventies!) and worked towards getting a business degree. her strong will opened doors for her that led to working in real estate. she did so for 25 years, always pursuing high ethics and enjoying the personal contact evolving out of her profession. she lost one of her child in an auto accident, never had another partner, volunteered for the ambulance as an EMT, was the secretary for the local Kiwanis club for ten years, and was diagnosed with breast cancer in the 90's. throughout her life she prefers solitude over crowds, but lives a life governed by the 'butterfly principle': if a butterfly moves its wings in China, it can create a storm on the other side of the earth... she is still living accordingly - and encouraged fellow residents to help her prune the roses in their facility to then dry the petals and create potpurries to sell for their alzheimer unit. she trusts that - even though she would rather be back on her farm - there is a reason for her to reside in a facility now...
I could not have asked for greater inspiration.