Strength

(picture taken by my mom, Sue)

Success: To laugh often and much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children, to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends, to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded!

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Strength

What makes us strong is not what we have conquered nor what we have achieved. True strength is not defined by being a rigid person in our thoughts and actions. It's quite the opposite. We gain strength from being flexible. We gain strength from listening to other people's opinions. We gain strength from remaining calm and peaceful. We gain strength by having discussions rather than shouting matches. We gain strength by finding commonality rather than differences. We gain strength by being bendable to life and all of its experiences. This is what makes us not only strong but durable. We will bend more easily to life without breaking. Real strength, the kind we all desire, is letting go of the notion that we need to "better" than someone else or that we need to be right all of the time. Let down your guard and realize the more gentle you are to yourself and other's, the more strength you gain in your soul.