It was a world of nature and magic.

Tough times baked people into tough heroes. And the difficulties of survival enriched tales told from one generation to the other, deepening the grip of their songs on the heart.

My mind was thirsty for stories when I was a child and I would pester the adults in my world to tell me a new story.

Moonlight and the fireside have come to symbolize the collection of stories I heard in my childhood.

Initially, I thought most of those stories were just meant to entertain my curious ears. As I reflected deeply on them later on, I realized how rich the stories were in history, financial advice, marital counselling and practical wisdom for daily living.

I began to trace my passion of becoming a motivational speaker, scriptwriter and filmmaker from what looked like ordinary tales I craved to hear in my childhood days.

How important it is to expose children to many positive experiences while they are growing up. It can have a profound impact on the discovery and development of their latent talents.