November is Inspirational Role Models Month (officially in the U.S., but that’s no reason not to observe it elsewhere). While it was still October when we had our Terry Fox Run and our class watched the CTV movie, Terry, if I’m thinking about inspriational Role models, this inspiring Canadian is among the first that comes to mind.

Looking at all that Terry did, there is no doubt that his actions and achievements are awesome; that they inspire awe. But what awes me most (even considering how amazing his efforts and achievements were) is the way his actions embodied compassion.

Terry was able to identify with and understand what other cancer patients were feeling, maybe uniquely able to do so. But it is neither his sympathy nor his empathy that I find so inspiring. Terry not only felt along with those suffering from cancer and their loved ones, he took action to help with that suffering. Beyond that, he not only took action himself, but he created a path and enabled others to join his journey so that everyone could work together and be part of the solution to the problem that he and so many others were facing.

With his compassion, Terry showed everyone how much he cared. His compassion helped him to connect and unite people to work together. I would argue that it was his compassion that made him able to achieve what so many refused to believe was possible. And as we look around at the ways so many people today seem so divided, maybe Terry’s compassion is something for us to look to again for inspiration to think, feel & act with others in mind. If we do, maybe we can find ways to work together to accomplish what right now seems almost impossible.

Who are some of your inspirational role models? What is it about what they say and do that you find so inspiring?