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Recently I've been re-reading some books about Audrey Hepburn. I didn't think that someone so beautiful could be just as gorgeous inside. She lived what seemed to be a very charmed life. But that's only a superficial look into those dark brown eyes. She lived in poverty, she shares an experience that shakes the physical mind:


As Audrey was coming home from sneaking notes to the allies she recalls a traumatic story of her younger years. She was stopped by a German officer who were taking away random women. Audrey luckily fled with her life, but it still a moment of deep thought when she later experienced a wartime life of bombs over head and this experience as well:
(after she was searched and almost taken away "She raced through alleyways and found a damp, dark cellar in which to take refuge. A tiny opening let in a little air, and Audrey thought she just might be able to pull through with the help of a crust of hard bread and a bottle of apple juice she had with her. She rationed her bread and juice carefully knowing she might need them for a long time. A ray of light broke through occasionally; she soon lost all sense of time. When tanks rumbled and Nazi vehicles shook the cellar's foundations, she froze, rooted to the spot, terrified of being recaptured. This reaction was to have a long-term effect...she feared the refuge might be bombed. She fled into the night, passing German armored vehicles guarding the deserted streets."
Eventually we find out she was there for about a month. She suffered long term health problems. And when some dare ask the question how she was so skinny, many, including herself, just say because of the war...and good eating habits.
she later puts a positive spin to it with the liberation period.
May 5th, 1945 "Audrey was 16. She danced in the streets to welcome the Allied troops. 'I stood there, just looking at them'. she recalled. 'The joy of hearing English spoken, the incredible feeling of being free, it was something very deep. Freedom was something you could smell. Freedom was the smell of an English cigarette.' "
This is from a wonderful book I’ve read called "Audrey Hepburn: A Life in Pictures." Foreword by Hubert Givenchy
Another moment that was a highlight of Audrey's life was her service. She worked with UNICEF as a spokesperson for a number of years until her death. She found the loneliness she saw in her life. She was loved by millions, and betrayed by the same. She was elegant and caring and mistreated and looked upon for her physical beauty. She LOVED dance over anything but was too tall to do it. Her favorite moments were to dance on screen. Her acting wasn't the best, but she gave it her all. She was known and HIRED for her presence more than her talents. A sad but true blow to her career. When she walked her sons to school, she say that it was not the life for her children and as a mother to have her fame. She soon left the famous roles and became a mother above all. Suffering so many miscarriages, she finally saw her first son who lived and felt so thankful..commenting on how she couldn’t stop staring at him for hours thinking "Do I really get to Keep him?! He's ALL mine now?!" She loved children. When her son was born, he stared at his mother. In his wonderful book he noted "You would stare too, if your mother was Audrey Hepburn." It talked about many sacred moments of Audrey's intimate life and the horrors she saw around the world, especially Africa. I conclude with the last of stories, that is my favorite. They were giving food to the poor in Africa. These children had no food for days. As Audrey stood to the side, she recognized that a child was staring at her, as she was about to finally receive her food, she instead, ran to Audrey and embraced her with her little body and thin limbs. Audrey noticed the need for physical love and assurance surpassed that of food and human necessities. The photographer at the time almost took a picture, but felt it was too sacred of a moment to photograph as they choked up.
Audrey understood love because of the lack in her life. She gave all she could. She was always polite to all people, all classes. She was dearest friends with the richest and to the opposite. Her best friends were those who stood by her side, such as her makeup artist she loved so much. & Her children.
She died in 1993. Her son remembers one of her lasts pleas. "Oh Seanie, I'm so scared." I stood there, holding her with all my might, as i felt huge chunks of me falling inside." When he told her that it was critical she laid there in a peaceful state and said calmly "How disappointing."

I leave with Audrey's last words as reported in this book.
She was asked if she had any regrets she said:
" No..but I cannot understand why so much suffering...for the children." "I do regret not meeting the Dalai Lama. He's probably the closest thing to God we have on this earth. So much humor...so much compassion..humanity..."
she fell asleep and died on Jan 20th of 1993.
Many who do not know the story of Audrey rob themselves of knowing a divine person. Many who flaunt Audrey memorabilia for her looks, not knowing her story, rob themselves of a superficial life of beauty, only on the outside. So now that you know just a little more about Audrey, here's a few pictures to refect on with a deeper meaning..