Can you sum up resilience in a song? Bella can – listen up.

I had a stroke two years ago, my memory’s not so good. When I get down I simply sing…

And with that I was introduced to the remarkable, resilient woman that is Mrs. Bella Kelly.

I met Bella while working in a tiny Northern Ontario community where she’s currently living, though she originally hails from Newfoundland. Her daughter, Cathy Ann does community engagement work and there’s nothing so engaging as watching the two of them together.

Cathy Ann leaves a note with Bella’s schedule on the kitchen counter when she’s out to help prevent confusion. A sample: 2:00 – 4:00 – Mom relaxes, 4:00 Cathy Ann will be home, 4:30 Mom goes to the community Feast

And so it goes, with a sometimes shaky grasp on the wispy bits of lived memories that forms a person’s life, Bella stays anchored in the present. If you ever get the chance to meet her, pull up a chair. She has a smile for everyone who crosses her path. You won’t have to wait long until she breaks out into song.  If that’s not resilience in action I don’t know what is.

If only we were all so wise. A little faith, one day at a time, makes a big difference in how you approach challenges and obstacles.

Whether I’m cursing the GPS in my new home of Nairobi (it’s take on where I wanted to drive to yesterday wasn’t anywhere near reality), facing a challenging workshop participant or being dogged by difficult training content I imagine Bella singing.

And yes, she really is that charming in person.

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4 Responses to “Can you sum up resilience in a song? Bella can – listen up.”

  1. Training & development learning well September blog post round up | Rock.Paper.Scissors.Blog Says:
    September 30th, 2011 at 7:01 pm

    […] Can you sum up resilience in a song? Bella can – listen up […]

  2. When it comes to resilience, which are you - an egg, carrot or a coffee bean? | Rock.Paper.Scissors.Blog Says:
    June 14th, 2017 at 4:09 pm

    […] from wonderful Bella, one of the best example of resilience & flow I’ve ever had the privilege…I filmed this 6 years ago & it recently came up on my Facebook feed to which Bella’s daughter […]

  3. Rania issa Says:
    June 16th, 2017 at 6:47 pm

    That is so wonderful. One day at a time!

  4. Lee-Anne Ragan Says:
    June 28th, 2017 at 2:50 pm

    Thanks Rania- yes one day at a time indeed (lyrics optional).

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