79 - Vals husband died at sea leaving her with three young girls to raise, she says kindness is key

Vals first husband, an ex navy officer, was working for the merchant navy when he sadly died at sea in Canada.
 
Val was working full time as a radiographer for the NHS when this happened. In those days they didn’t used to give much time off for compassionate leave.

Val went into auto pilot and got on with life for the sake of her three girls, trying to keep life going as best she could without any disruption to their routine. Rather than move back to Scotland which is where Val is originally from she stayed put in Southsea, sending the girls to school, continuing to work full time and renting out the spare rooms in her house to some Engineering students to help make ends meet.
 
The engineering students pretty much looked after themselves but they did help the girls with their maths homework. The house became a busy, chaotic but fun and happy house. The girls inherited some brothers to grow up with.
 
Val did eventually find a new husband to share life with and although the girls weren’t necessarily that receptive to begin with they now love him very much. Eventually Val gave up her job and the couple pursued their own adventures. Eventually Val decided to do a university degree and trained in world religions after discovering Unitarianism. She is now a Unitarian minister and conducts services that respect all religions. By their very nature a Unitarian is someone who respects all beliefs, they feel that religion and beliefs are personal and no one has the right to tell you what you should or shouldn’t believe. A lot of the funerals she conducts are humanist. 
 
Vals overriding message from her life experiences is that the world would be a better place if we were all kinder. Kinder to ourselves through forgiveness and kinder to each other too. What have you done today to be kind to someone?

The BeGlad Movement is aiming to collect 100 stories of good coming out of bad and reasons to be glad by the end of 2018 to help support each other with our experiences and to raise money for the Samaritans and Action for Happiness. If you would like to donate it would be so greatly appreciated. Thank you!

https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/beglad