BEING BRAVE

Courage is to feel the daily daggers of relentless steel and keep on living. ~Douglas Malloch

I've been taking a little time this week to think about being brave, and what exactly courage is. I don't think it's all heroes and fantastic stories, I think it might just being a little more ordinary than that. I think that maybe, some of courage's best friends may be tears, anger, and fear. I've thought about my mom after Jamie died and how she cried bitter, angry, tears everyday for weeks and months, yet still managed to pull herself out of bed each morning to face another day. I've thought about my friend Jennifer Jewkes who learned at age 33 she had breast cancer. She fought hard and well and was healthy for five years. I think about how much courage it must take to find out the cancer came back, worse this time, terminal, yet still not accept this fate. To keep fighting and living is what I believe courage is. And, I've thought a lot about my Grandma. I know it must take so much courage to face life after losing her sweetheart. Then to continue to find meaning in life when her body started to fail. And I know she is using all the courage she can muster to face the latest diagnosis she's had this week... incurable, untreatable.

In each case there have been tears, bucket-loads in fact, there has been anger, even bitterness for a time, and there certainly has been fear. But we all just do what needs to be done to get back up off the ground and keep living, don't we? I think bravery plays out every day, in so many lives, and I think that it is one of life's miracles.

So, while I feel I will need some courage this weekend, to face a hard decision, I don't think I have to look very hard for inspiration.