Muster Any Strength

I'll bet you can all remember the day you left home (unless of course you haven't left home, in which case, I'll bet you can't imagine what that day's going to be like). I can recall just about everything about it, except the exact date, which is a touch ironic, but never mind. As I write these words, a niece of mine is on her way to start her life as a student at one of our most august seats of learning, and the text messages I've received from her have sent me straight back to that evening in Dubai when I got on a plane and travelled 5000-odd miles to Cardiff. I remember my brother and I hugged each other so hard, we couldn't actually muster any strength to say the word 'Goodbye'. For days afterwards, I was what you might call an emotional wreck.

And yet I never doubted - not for one moment - that I was doing the right thing. Even though a part of me thought my whole world had been obliterated, I could also hear a clear, constant voice in my heart, reassuring me that all would be well.

There aren't many moments in our lives when we experience such certainty, but when they do come they're an absolute gift. We just need to have the courage to accept them.