When I was a kid,
not so very long ago,
I can remember my mother, Ernesteen Frances, saying,
"When my daddy died, I just wanted to lie down and die too, but I realized I couldn't just lie down and die just because I wanted to, so I kept going."
My parents were tenacious,
faithful,
dependable,
faithful,
dependable,
stick to it,
finish the project,
keep working for a better tomorrow,
see the good,
help others,
kind of people.
So when I feel my hope fading,
feel my faith quaking,
my trust ebbing,
among other things, I remember their example,
and I put on my
"Ernesteen Frances Smile"
and square my
"Gordon Wilson Shoulders"
and I...
Don't Quit
(I've shared this poem before on my blog but you need to read it today...I just know you do...I do too!)
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit-
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a fellow turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out.
Don't give up though the pace seems slow -
You may succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than...
...It seems to a faint and faltering man;
Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victor's cup;
And he learned too late when the night came down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out -
The silver tint in the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It might be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit -
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.
anonymous
Of course, I have no idea of the challenges some of you may be facing, but I've lived long enough to know that everyone is dealing with something.
And some of you have shared your stories with me and my heart breaks for your loss, your grief, your uncertainty, your frustration.
Please be encouraged to keep seeking for truth and wisdom for every situation you face.
Life is lived second by second...all adding up to today and tomorrow and another day and it all passes so quickly.
Don't quit making each second be the best it can be. It may not be perfect. In fact it may be gut wrenchingly hard and difficult and yucky and awful blah, but always strive to make it the best possible in the middle of awful.
Or you could go eat some ice cream...
OR
popcorn.
Yeah, popcorn always works!
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My parents, Gordon Wilson and Ernesteen Frances Easley, are in the center of this photo.
It includes my nine older siblings, a brother in law and my parent's first born grandson.
I am not in it.
I treasure this photo.
