Circumstances may cause interruptions and delays, but never lose sight of your goal.
A goal isn’t something you just arrive at and stop. You have to stay curious and hungry.
Mario Andretti (born 1940) is an American race car driver. Now retired, his career is one of the most success in all of auto racing.
Friendships born on the field of athletic strife are the real gold of competition. Awards become corroded, friends gather no dust.
The battles that count aren’t the ones for gold medals. The struggles within yourself–the invisible, inevitable battles inside all of us–that’s where it’s at.
Jesse Owens (1913-1980) was an American track and field athlete. During the 1936 summer Olympics, he became the first athlete to win four gold medals in a single Olympiad.
Teen’s summer wallet
Idleness experienced—
Running short of cash
Thinking career change
Job singing summertime blues—
Shifting tides come home
Summer heating up
Mercury scaling new heights—
Dog days, welcome back
From the words of Dr. Martin Luther King: “Courage faces fear and thereby masters it. Cowardice represses fear and is thereby mastered by it.”
Worry arrives with concerns never to come
Building upon past fears, stoking future ones
Life’s landscape fills with looming mountains
Instead of gentle molehills, fear gathers and stuns
Concerns about future challenges come forth
Transforming into worries, fueling more fear
Darkest clouds come together and gather
Who will grab the wheel and start to steer?
Waiting for our Lord, He renews our strength
Living by faith, His Word restores our soul
Rejoicing in hope, patient in suffering
Renewed by the Spirit, we feel more whole
God always walks with us, seek Him in prayer
Darkest valleys ahead, His love casts out fears
With compassion for our sufferings, hear His Word
Comforted by His rod and staff, God never veers
Asking of our Father, seeking His counsel
Bringing clearer witness, through His precise scope
His guidance renews our hearts, calming fears
His wisdom touches minds, filled with Gospel hope
From Mark 5:35-36: “While He was still speaking, some people came from the leader’s house to say, ‘Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?’ But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, ‘Do not fear, only believe.'”
Originally published June, 2020.
The difficulty lies, not in the new ideas, but in escaping from the old ones.
Once doubt begins, it spreads quickly.
John Maynard Keynes (1883-1946) was a English economist and philosopher, who was one of the most influential thinkers of his time.
A select few face overwhelming challenges in life. Encouraged by a heart filled with perseverance, these trailblazers adopt an attitude where “Can” outplays “Can’t.”
Renowned American lighthouse keeper, Ida Lewis, is recognized as one of the nation’s true heroes. Her dedication to her service as well as rescuing many forlorn boaters in the waters around Newport, Rhode Island, is well-documented.
Idawalley Zorada Lewis begins her life journey on February 25, 1842. Born to parents, Hosea and Zoradia, she becomes a vital, working member of the family by the age of 12.
Her father is appointed as the lighthouse keeper in 1854 at the Lime Rock Light Station. The tiny postage-stamp sized island of Lime Rock is inaccessible by land. In the first few months of Hosea Lewis’ tenure as the keeper, he suffers a stroke. Unable to complete his duties, his wife Zoradia takes over his responsibilities.
Because her mother must also care for her husband’s needs, Ida is called upon to assist with the tending and caring of the lighthouse. Eventually, she will inherit the official position as the lighthouse keeper. These daily duties include:
Ida becomes an accomplished swimmer and rower. Each day, she pilots the family’s wooden skiff across the harbor in taking her siblings to school. She also brings back provisions from town.
In the fall of 1958 at age 16, Ida completes her first rescue. Four young men are clinging to their capsized sailboat, and she rows out to bring them safely back to land.
One of Ida’s best known rescues happens on March 29, 1869. A vicious snowstorm covers the Newport harbor, and two soldiers are rowing toward Fort Adams. A 14-year old boy is acting as their guide. The surging waters become too much, and the boat capsizes. The boy disappears in the stormy seas while the two men cling to their sinking boat. Ida and her younger brother row out to the scene and rescue the two men.
Ida’s exploits are reported in newspapers, and one even hails her as the “bravest woman in America.” She meets many famous people, including President Ulysses S. Grant.
In July, 1881, Ida receives the Gold Lifesaving Medal from the U.S. Coast Guard for her heroism in this rescue. Her likeness appears on the cover of Harper’s Weekly, and her photograph is reproduced on postcards.
The Secretary of the U.S. Lighthouse Board, William Windom, offers gratitude and praise for Ida’s courage. Here are some of his words:
“. . . it is peculiarly appropriate that you should receive the national life-saving medal in commemoration of your brave acts as a life-saver, while it is an occasion for added satisfaction that such a memorial of unquestionable heroism should have been won by a woman.”
During her many years of service, Ida is credited with 18 official rescues (and numerous unofficial ones). She completes her last rescue when she is in her mid-60s. On October 24, 1911, Ida dies from a stroke.
In her final years of service, Ida earns an annual salary of $750, which is the highest paid to any lighthouse keeper in the United States. No doubt, her many acts of heroism earn her this high level of compensation.
In 1924, the U.S. Coast Guard renames the Lime Rock Light Station. It becomes the Ida Lewis Lighthouse, and it is the only American lighthouse ever named after a keeper.
Ida Lewis becomes a strong role model for future generations of American girls. Her own words proclaim her sustaining faith: “God always gives me the strength to help others in need.”
Previous editions of other narratives of “Overcoming Life’s Insurmountable” can be found from the links below.
Glenn Cunningham, American athlete
Wilma Rudolph, American athlete
Although we may want our difficulties resolved immediately, what we really need is a bigger vision of God, not fewer problems.
From Jeremiah 32:17-18: “Ah Lord God! It is You who made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for You. You show steadfast love to the thousandth generation.”
Feeling defeated
Heavy shadow weighs upon—
Procrastinating
Welcoming freedom
Sunrise lifting confidence—
Invigorating
Nurturing habit
Tackling biggest challenge first—
Prioritizing
A man’s strength is ultimately born of his knowledge of his own weaknesses.
Do not speak badly of yourself, for the warrior that is inside you hears your words and is lessened by them.
David Gemmell (1948-2006) was a British author, journalist, and newspaper editor. His prowess with writing fiction produced over 30 novels.
Experience is a master teacher, even when it’s not our own.
Mistakes help to sharpen your next steps. They don’t prove that you shouldn’t try again.
Gina Greenlee is an American author, speaker, and teacher. She resides in Florida where she has written countless books, and she believes in the positive experiences of being a lifelong learner.
Big Sky Buckeye 