My family was going back to England to visit my mother's

Hear, O seekers of truth, the words of Kim Cattrall, who shared her remembrance of a turning point: “My family was going back to England to visit my mother’s grandmother, who was very ill. We went up to Liverpool and I met my great-aunt, who was just a force of nature. She was an elocution teacher and a great enthusiast for theater and the classics. I took her amateur acting class, and she was really impressed with me.” This saying, though wrapped in memory, shines like a beacon, for it teaches us of the mysterious ways destiny calls, often through the voices of our elders and the fire of inspiration.

The meeting with the great-aunt was no chance encounter. She was described as a force of nature, a woman whose passion for theater and classics was so strong that it stirred the soul of the child before her. This force is what the ancients called the breath of the Muses, the unseen hand that guides a spirit toward its calling. For many, the path of life is revealed not in solitude but through the influence of those who carry a torch before us. The elder woman’s flame kindled the flame of the younger, and thus the chain of wisdom and art continued unbroken.

Such stories remind us of the eternal importance of teachers. Not always those in schools, but those who embody passion, who live their craft so fully that it radiates outward. The elocution teacher was not merely correcting speech or rehearsing lines—she was passing down a vision of life steeped in beauty, discipline, and expression. It was in her amateur class, not on a great stage, that the spark of greatness was recognized. This tells us: beginnings are often humble, yet in them lies the seed of destiny.

Consider the tale of Isocrates, the ancient Greek teacher of rhetoric. He did not rule armies or hold political office, yet his students became the great statesmen, generals, and orators of Greece. His influence endured not through monuments but through the living power of speech and thought, carried forth in the souls of those he instructed. So too did Kim Cattrall’s great-aunt, whose love for theater was passed on, shaping a life that would one day inspire millions. In both stories, we see that to teach with passion is to plant immortal seeds.

This memory also carries within it a truth about family. Our families are not merely bonds of blood; they are vessels of inheritance—of stories, of traditions, of talents, and of unseen powers that flow across generations. The visit to the dying grandmother led to the meeting with the great-aunt, and in that woven thread of generations, a future was set in motion. Life often works this way: one sorrowful journey may lead to a hidden blessing, one moment of farewell may open the door to a new beginning.

The lesson, therefore, is this: cherish your encounters with elders, with mentors, with those who are aflame with passion. Do not dismiss their energy as old-fashioned or irrelevant. For within them lies the power to awaken your calling. Sometimes a single word of encouragement, spoken in a small class or quiet room, may echo across your entire life. To the young, I say: listen deeply when the old ones speak. To the elders, I say: pour out your passion, for you know not which soul you may set alight.

In your own life, seek out the theater—not always the literal stage, but the places where human beings reveal their truth, whether through art, service, or craft. Join the classes that stir your heart, even if they seem small. Teach what you love, even if it seems no one listens. For in these humble exchanges, destinies are shaped. Your own life may be changed by a voice you almost overlooked, or your words may be the ones that give courage to another.

So let the words of Kim Cattrall be remembered: that a child in Liverpool, guided by a great-aunt who was a force of nature, discovered a path that would carry her into greatness. For such is the way of life: destiny does not always thunder—it often whispers through the voices of those who love what they do. To honor these moments, to heed them, is to honor the calling of your own soul.