This newspaper takes pride in asserting that its role must not only be to inform and educate, but also to proactively support national development and the psyche of our people.

One way to do all that is to tell the stories of those who have lifted themselves through hope, perseverance, and hard work, sometimes from the very depths of despair.

Two of those articles in our latest Sunday edition should be required reading.

There is that of 29-year-old Miss Rose Marie Mitchell, who has bounced back from traumatising experiences as a child to become a well-adjusted, self-sustaining professional in the hotel industry, with dreams of running her own business.

Also, there is Miss Jossette Clayton, who, drawing from the memory of giving her grandmother back rubs as a child, now operates her own health and wellness spa in cool, cool Mandeville.

After two years of training at Montego Bay Community College, Miss Clayton landed her first job as a masseuse at Sandals South Coast in Whitehouse, Westmoreland, in 2008.

She hasn’t looked back since, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, which broke her service at Beaches Turks and Caicos.

In choosing to start her spa in Mandeville, Miss Clayton unveils her business acumen, pointing to the attraction of the idyllic climate of that central highlands town and its tradition as a location favourable to health and wellness.

In addition to varied massage therapy, she offers beauty options, including facials, natural skincare, pedicure, hair styling; as well as training in wellness and beauty treatments.

Consider the heart-rending story of Miss Mitchell, who tells us she was sexually and emotionally abused, after being deprived at age eight of a happy childhood with a caring father.

Haunted by that and other bad experiences, including a miscarriage, a disastrous house fire, and bullying at school, Miss Mitchell — driven by an erosion of self-worth — attempted to end her own life no fewer than four times.

Yet, with the passage of time, she learnt to never give up.

“No matter how dark the situation became, I knew there was a light at the end of the tunnel, and here I am today,” she said.

And with the help of her religious faith, the love of her father, therapy from the joys of nature, including “river and seaside” she has healed and takes comfort from her stable job as a room attendant in the hotel industry.

She now has dreams of starting her own cleaning business.

Intriguingly, both Miss Mitchell and Miss Clayton speak of their love for their line of work.

“I love cleaning,” says Miss Mitchell. “I grew up cleaning and listening to music, and I always loved when the place is nice and fresh, no dust or anything,” she added.

And Miss Clayton tells us that, “I have a great passion for therapy and for wellness… Some people are in the business for money, but if you love what you do you will never have to work a day in your life… [When] I am doing a massage, it is like an art. I love what I am doing…”

That’s all wonderfully inspiring for those of us struggling to find relevance in our daily lives.