I find myself reflecting on the life of Nelson Mandela as I hear one story after another flash across my television screen.  Mandela was one of the great leaders of our time; someone we should try to emulate.  But as hard as I try, I am only a gnat in the forest.  I write compassionate and compelling stories, hoping to give a voice to those unable to speak.  I throw pebbles across the still water and watch ripples scoot across its surface.  Maybe one ripple will reach another, another, and so on.  How many my message reaches, I’ll never know.  You see, I’m only a nat in the forest trying to do the right thing.