That she continued to do this as long as she physically could, shows her determination and committment to give what she could to help Unicef make the world a better place. To do this, among other sacrifices, she had to overcome her extremely introverted nature.
Audrey Hepburn would have been celebrating her birthday today. She was born on May 4th, 1929 and died of Cancer on January 20, 1993. Her father was an Irish Banker, her mother was a Dutch Baroness. At the time the Second World War began, her parents, separated at the time, decided she might be safer in Holland than in England, where she had been attending school.
This decision was crucial. By the end of the war, Arnheim Holland had been flattened by bombs, one of Audrey's uncles had been shot, another brother walked home arriving 3 months after everyone thought he had died and Audrey herself had escaped from a truck taking her to a labour camp and had hidden for months in a basement. When Unicef arrived immediately after the war, they found a very sick young woman.
No doubt, any of us can access most of her biography ourselves online. What none of us can ever really touch is the unique and ephemeral nature of her being. No one can, or will ever be, like her.
She had two sons after many miscarriages. The oldest Sean Ferrer writes about her often. I believe he has four children. The younger son, Luca Dotti born 10 years after Sean in l970, has never spoken in public about his mother before now. Amazingly, therefore, he is writing a book about her and is featured in Vanity Fair magazine in May 2013 speaking about her life in Rome when he was growing up. Sean's book about his mother, An Elegant Spirit, was a wonderful testimony which showed how well she succeded as a mother.
Now it is twenty years since she died. Those of us who admired her from afar, and by some miracle, got to see her vibrant and alive, will never forget her. Those of us who admire her and what she exemplified, an elegant spirit, a lovely soul, and so much more that is ephemeral and always lovely, have never been surprised that she played an Angel in her final movie role.
P.S. on April 12th someone remembered this special poem Audrey loved:
This exquisite poem TIME-TESTED BEAUTY TIPS excerpted from the poem by Sam Levenson*
is quoted by AUDREY HEPBURN'S son Sean Ferrer in his book AUDREY HEPBURN-An Elegant Spirit.
Sean spoke last at her funeral and read the following excerpt from the Levenson poem.
is quoted by AUDREY HEPBURN'S son Sean Ferrer in his book AUDREY HEPBURN-An Elegant Spirit.
Sean spoke last at her funeral and read the following excerpt from the Levenson poem.
"For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.
For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.
For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
For beautiful hair, let a child run his or her fingers through it once a day.
For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone".
Sean continued;
"We leave you a tradition with a future.
The tender loving care of human beings will never become obsolete".
"People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; Never throw out anybody. As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others".
"Your 'good old days' are still ahead of you, may you have many of them".
_____________________________________________________
TIME-TESTED BEAUTY TIPS*
The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman must be see from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides.
The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole, but true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she shows, and the beauty of a woman with passing years only grows".
For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
For beautiful hair, let a child run his or her fingers through it once a day.
For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone".
Sean continued;
"We leave you a tradition with a future.
The tender loving care of human beings will never become obsolete".
"People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; Never throw out anybody. As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others".
"Your 'good old days' are still ahead of you, may you have many of them".
_____________________________________________________
TIME-TESTED BEAUTY TIPS*
by Sam Levenson
"For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.
For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.
For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
For beautiful hair, let a child run his or her fingers through it once a day.
For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone.
People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; Never throw out anybody. As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.
For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.
For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
For beautiful hair, let a child run his or her fingers through it once a day.
For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone.
People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; Never throw out anybody. As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.
The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman must be see from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides.
The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole, but true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she shows, and the beauty of a woman with passing years only grows".
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