Tag: uncrushable spirit

She has grit…

20 Quotes to Inspire Courage + Grit — Gillian Tracey Design | Branding and Web Design Columbia, MO

She has grit.

I haven’t met her, but I can hear it in her voice. They are barely diagnosed, just over a month ago. She has small babies. This couple seems so young. Barely in their thirties. At least, they seem young to me.I remember how hard I thought it was to raise three babies before ALS. Now I envision just how much more difficult her life has become, and I can’t be the one to tell her.

She assures me she has a large support group around her. I try to convey how important it is that she learns to accept help now, before they need it. Because as the road becomes more difficult, many people who convince her of their support and love will no longer be able to help. And the idea of asking for help will become harder, as more and more people avoid the promises they thought they could keep.

Her baby is in the background, a small voice. Her patient reply, with love in every word.

Do I tell her how exhausted she will become? Do I tell her that I understand the weight that has been placed on her small shoulders.

Instead, I try for reassurances.

There are resources, and support groups. There are foundations that can help alleviate some of the stress, but really, this will all be for her to navigate.
I try to remind her that their mindset and partnership together will determine much of how this will affect them. That if they adapt to the challenges, and look for ways to still maintain some semblance of their lives, that they will learn to live with the disease instead of simply learned to watch as he slowly dies from it.

I recount the numerous travels that Matthew and I have ventured on, both with children and without. The escapades, both good and bad, that we have gone on have helped us find beauty in a difficult situation. I tell her that anything can be accomplished if you are willing to adapt to the situation around you. Do I even believe the words coming out of my mouth? I guess it depends on the day.

Her voice is strong.

She confesses to breaking down when no one is looking. He is wearing himself out, trying to remodel their home, and finish the landscaping while he can still move. He thinks he is doing the admirable thing when all she wants is more time with him. The projects around the house no longer seem that significant to her. Yet, for him, he now knows his time is limited. And the urge to suddenly complete all those annoying honey do’s seems more relevant than ever before.


I want to tell her this will be both a blessing and a curse. They will soon learn, perhaps finally fully understanding that his cards have been played and this is it. This is their journey. Together, yet completely different. They have the opportunity to let go of all the trivial stuff, to stay present, and enjoy each moment for how they were designed to be enjoyed. The toddler antics, including the temper tantrums will suddenly seem beautiful moments instead of something to be dealt with, or even tolerated through the day. The chaos of toys, and the never-ending piles of laundry will be thought of as enjoyable items that make a home. There will hopefully be more videos, and photos, regardless of her makeup, or weight, or his progression of the disease that will steal his image, creating in its wake a body that no longer resembles the person they once had been. They have the opportunity to lean in and be together for however long they have.

Yet the curse comes in not knowing the speed or the suffering that comes with this devastating hand they have all been dealt. The curse will be in the realization that their expectations of other people around them were misplaced. The curse comes as the sadness builds as she realizes that she will be forced to give up her own life, dreams, and goals to care for him. It will be expected of her, and no one else will step in to offer support. There will only be her. How she feels about that challenge will change for her week by week, hour by hour, minute by minute.

She has grit.

Now hopefully that grit sustains her for the long road she will be traveling down, as she will carry an unimaginable heavy load. There really is no other choice. And that grit will be the only thing keeping her going on most days.

Let’s pray it’s enough….

❤ Matthew Wild

waves…

Image result for images of poems about life and the ocean

It was breezy. The smell of the salty air teased her nose, as the wind moved through the hair that kept escaping from her clip, whipping her hair in disarray. She kept trying to secure her hair away from her face. Ready to give up on any hope of getting her hair under control, she quickly grasped her hair atop her head, pinning it on top. With one last pat, she began observing her clothes.

A black t-shirt and shorts that were ragged and well worn is all she had.  Still, she wiped her hands over her shirt, as if to iron out the wrinkles that the moisture from the sea had created.

She glanced down at her toes, wiggling in the sand. She lifted her toes upwards, trying to allow the cool water to rush in under them. When she lifted her feet up, the sand filled in, only to squish outward when she rooted her feet deeper into the earth.  The foam from the ocean lapped around her ankles as each wave slowly rocked in around her. She noticed how deep the sand felt. It was coarse, and she could feel a tug from the ocean as one wave retreated, before steeling herself against the small waves that were edging first close, then slowly retreating back where they had came from.

Her head turned, looking over her shoulders.  Each direction, she could see people standing along the beach. The sun was in her eyes, and she had to squint to see even those who were closest to her, standing along the sandy shoreline. They were all individuals, standing solitarily along the shore. She wanted to ask why but noticed that she herself was all alone. Her gaze lengthened further along the beach, noticing friends and family she recognized.

Her arm raised, waving frantically, as she smiled and called out to them.  Faster, her arm, outstretched, pumped from side to side.  Still, no one glanced her way.  She cupped her hands to her mouth and shouted.  Laughing, she bent over, her arms wrapping around her waist, giggling that she was alone, yet could see so many she knew and loved, but they could neither see nor hear her.

The smile on her face froze, as she realized that although there were so many she recognized and knew, some she even loved, she was all alone on this small area of beach and sand. Her head still turning from one shoulder, towards the other, she saw individuals, much like herself, standing and bracing against the waves.  Some were standing back up after having been knocked down by waves. Others appeared to be bracing for waves that seemed to engulf them.  She stood with bated breath, wondering how these waves were not hitting them all along the shoreline.

“Strange, I don’t see any waves near me.”

Again, the woman glanced out towards the horizon.  The darkening clouds were billowing and building upon each other.  She looked down at her feet, as another wave rocked against her legs.  This one forced her to take a step back, as she hadn’t been braced or ready for it.  She was still standing, and for that she was thankful.

She turned to walk away, but her legs wouldn’t carry her. Her heart raced. She realized that there was no turning away.  With some sort of invisible guidance, her body was held tightly facing forward.

She tried lifting her legs against the heavy sand, but each step only pulled her feet deeper and deeper into the wet, rough beach.  She saw the water pull away, and as her eyes raised in question, the wave hit her, knocking her to the ground.

Surprised at its strength and intensity, she looked for others to come help, but no one seemed to notice.  She stood up, this time, bruised and bit battered at the strength of the wave.

Again, she tried calling out to those around her for help. Why couldn’t they see her struggling?  Why did they leave her all alone?

Each person seemed to be fighting their own waves, some higher and some more gentle, only lapping at their ankles.  Again, she glanced out towards the horizon.

If a wave was going to come towards her again, this time she would be prepared.

She bent her knees, leaning heavily on her right leg, as she stepped her left foot backwards.  She would be ready this time.  Chin raised, shoulders back, she was ready for the water as it pulled further away, adding height to an already powerful wave coming towards her.

The sun forcing her to squint, she tried leaning in, as the wave came roaring towards her.  Her focus was intent, looking solely at what lay before her and this time, she refused to look beside her.  She knew she needed to brace against what was headed her way.

The wind in her face, blowing tendrils of hair across her forehead, stilled for just a moment. The mist moistened her face and arms, as she had closed her eyes, too scared to see what was coming towards her.

It was shocking how hard it hit. The air from her lungs was forced out on impact. The wave forcing her backwards. The water, now over her head swirled above her, and she kicked, lungs burning, as she tried to reach the surface for air.

She was sure her lungs would burst from the pressure building, and still she kicked harder and harder, hoping the surface was found just above her fingertips.

When she thought she could no longer hold on, the wave subsided, and she found herself once again, standing…toes wiggling in the sand.

Again, she glanced up.  The sun, that had just warmed her skin only moments before was over shadowed by dark clouds that were moving in.

Her eyes perused the horizon.  The clouds moved slowly towards her, ominously warning her. She wanted to run away, but she knew it was futile.  This storm was meant for her, and only her, and it was headed directly for her.

She watched the speed of the clouds moving. She tried to gauge how fast it was approaching, and she was also trying to prepare. She knew there would be no one to help her, she had long stopped expecting to find someone to lean on. She had no choice but to face what was coming, alone.

She could dig her heels in.  She could brace herself as best as possible, and plan for whatever may come…but in the end, it was up to her to decide if she would find the strength to beat this storm.

**********************************************************************************

I would like to take just a moment and explain this short story. This story has many metaphors, and I hoped they were easily discovered.  The inability to run away.  The waves are problems that we must all face alone on our journey through life.  Often, when we think we have support and help, when we look around, we find that, we are all alone.

This story is not necessarily a story about my hopes and dreams, it is something that I struggle with more and more as time marches on.  I know what is in my future. I know it looks bleak and sometimes terrifying.  I also am fully aware that this journey is mine, and mine alone.

I can only hope to make it through to the other side, without drowning from the sorrow of what life has chosen to throw in my path.  Maybe, although I cannot turn away from my path set before me, or the storm that is clearly coming my way, I can at least prepare for it, brace for it. Really, that is all any of us can do on this journey called “life.”