Before everything else, I just want to greet everybody, most specially my first two friends on here Susan and Teresa, a very happy new year! May love, hope and peace guide you for the rest of the year as we tackle life's challenges with the strength and fortitude of our hearts. 

A great story needs to be told and it isn't mine. It's about a man in the Philippines named Billie - the proprietor of the Billie on Wheels Digital Imaging Service. In a blog post he wrote sometime in August 2010, he recounts his childhood years of growing up as a disabled person.

Now some of you may know the Power Rangers in the 1990s - but before that was BioMan.

Billie tells of how he grew up wanting to be Red One, the leader of the heroic fivesome. But being self aware of his disabilities, he felt that he somehow didn't deserve to be "Red One". It really is a good read and I hope that Billie won't mind me quoting from his blog post something which one person said to him that probably changed his life forever:

"Billie my dear, you don't need special powers to be a hero and you don't need legs just to be a good leader. A hero was never in a physical form but measured in a persons courage and kindness. It doesn't matter if you can't walk, what matters is you walk on the Lords path. Always remember that you will always be our little hero and you and my son will always be my Red One"" 

You can read the whole story here on Billie's Blog

Now, Billie contacted me again on Facebook and it was quite a surprise to me being that the last time we had any contact was 2 years ago. This made me remember his blog post.

I think his inspirational story touches not just disabled people's lives but everyone's.

Courage and kindness are universal to all and what Mrs. Fernandez said to him is very true. Some of us may feel like we are inadequate because of our disabilities - and it's not just physical disabilities, it could also be emotional or psychological, but in truth - within each one of us lies the seed for great goodness and inspiration. 

I think Billie's life is a true testament to that and the main message of the story is: 

• You can be a hero to someone this 2013
• You can be kind to someone this year
• You can transcend your limitations to do all that. 

All of these are possible - if you believe.