Category: Overcoming odds

We forget sometimes that everything starts with envisioning something that’s not yet reality.

Still, what sane person would stand before an enormous expanse of rough granite mountain and imagine he could hammer it, beat it or blast it into submission?

Only one: Gutzon Borglum and he was 60 years old when he began this project in 1927.

People called him a fool–and worse–but that didn’t stop him. Neither did South Dakota’s howling winds, thunderstorms, rain, frigid temperatures or blizzards, all of which he and his helpers experienced.

Borglum simply refused to give up on his dream. His vision for that enormous expanse of granite became a burning passion. It took over his life until he drew his last breath in 1941.

(To get some idea of the scale, take a look at those pine trees at the bottom of the photo. They’re not seedlings.)

We visited Mount Rushmore National Park when our four girls were growing up

For a long while we stood there transfixed while eagles circled high above our heads.

Before us were these four faces, each one 60 ft. high. It seemed we could look into the eyes of Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.

Somehow it felt as if their eyes followed us when we walked from one side to the other. We spent a lot of time there, poring over the information booklet.

The inescapable question: How on earth did they do that?

“They” wouldn’t have done any of it without one man and his “crazy dream”

Gutzon Borglum and his determination made it happen. It’s that simple. Borglum, age 60, drilled the first holes in 1927.

Over the next 14 years he and 400 other men blasted away and chipped away more than 450,000 tons of granite from the face of the mountain. One exhausting day followed another.

Yet they kept on. Finally, in October, 1941, the Mount Rushmore National Memorial was officially declared done.

Sadly, six months before that date, Borglum died of an embolism. His son Lincoln Borglum headed the faithful group of family members, craftsmen and laborers who brought the project to completion.

Because Gutzon Borglum refused to give up his “crazy dream”, the United States of America has this national treasure, Mount Rushmore.

What’s your dream?

Some of us have kept chasing around a tired old dream for years. By now we’ve convinced ourselves our “mountain” is ay too huge and we waited too long. We have no chance of succeeding.

Or maybe we’ve said, “But that will take ___ years. If I start now, by the time I finish I’ll be ___ years old.”

Find your obvious answer in another question. “How old will I be in ___ years if I don’t do it?”

Here’s a promise of God that we can cherish at any age:

   As your days, so shall your strength be. –Deuteronomy 33:25b

Maybe it’s not too late

For starters, here are five people who got a late start.

Andrea Bocelli was told he was “too old” to sing at age 48, but he started singing anyway.

Susan Boyle, an unknown woman from a very small town in Scotland, made it on “Britain’s Got Talent” at age 48 and wowed everyone. You know the rest of her story.

Julia Child didn’t start cooking until age 40 and began her long-running PBS cooking show at age 51.

Harlan Sanders had a couple of other careers before he founded Kentucky Fried Chicken at age 65.

Grandma Moses never picked up a paintbrush until she was 75–and never took a lesson, yet she became famous.

How about you? If not now, when?

It doesn’t matter whether your dream is as big as Mount Rushmore or as small as mastering the perfect batch of fudge.

What matters is that we don’t assume we’re licked before we start, just because we didn’t begin years ago. At any age and any stage of life, goals and dreams give us a reason to keep going.

As for strength needed to do so, only one Source never gives out. That’s what the Apostle Paul tells us in Philippians 4:13. Some of us know the truth of this promise first-hand, because we trusted it when we thought we had no strength left within us:

I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.

Who knows what you and I may yet do or how we may bless the world?

As someone put it, “If you woke up this morning it’s a sign God still has something for you to do on this earth.”

That “something” might sound small, such as aiming to be one of those people who cheers everybody up simply by speaking about what’s good and hopeful. (Don’t you love people like that?)

But first we need to get in the habit of looking for what’s good. Any of us could do better at that if we simply stay aware and put in a bit of effort. It gets easier if we remember it is God who guides and enables and gives strength for each day, to all who trust him and ask in faith.

Now let’s be ready to get outside our personal comfort zone. And let’s get going!

Working on it, too,

Lenore
Who Declared Your Dream Is Impossible?

April 8, 2026
Have you ever doubted your ability to give your children what they need?

Most of us have. Then it's good to remind ourselves about individuals who overcame big challenges and reared solid families.

My favorite example is Sonya Carson. I've admired her ever since her younger son, Ben–yes, that Ben Carson–held our convention audience spellbound as he told of his growing-up years.

Sonya coped with challenges most of us can't imagine.

She only completed Grade 3 in school

At age 13 she married 28 year-old Robert Carson

They moved to Detroit after he finished his U.S. Army service

Son Curtis arrived when Sonya was 20 and Ben, two years later

Five years later she discovered her husband "forgot" to mention his other (first) wife and children–and still supported them

Within two years Sonya and Robert separated, then she divorced him

She and the boys moved in with relatives in Boston

Two years later the Sonya and her boys moved back to Detroit and into subsidized housing

Sonya was determined to provide for her family

She took whatever honest low-skills, low-pay jobs she could find, working two or three at a time. She left before dawn and came home late, often finding her sons asleep in front of the television set.

Each day the boys got themselves up, then walked along the railroad track to school. Classmates called fifth-grader Ben the dumbest kid in class and made jokes about him.

Almost every Sunday the trio attended their church at least once.

One day he brought home a report card that changed his life

His mother was not happy. "You're a smart boy, Bennie! I know you can do better! If you keep up like this, you'll end up sweeping floors or on skid row. That's not the kind of life I want for you–and neither does God."

Sonya turned to God, whom she calls her friend and partner, and asked for wisdom.

A day or so later she announced new rules and pledged her sons to honor them.

Come home home immediately after school

No playing outside until after homework is done

Be inside the apartment by sunset, with doors locked; Halls and public areas are dangerous

Only two TV programs per week–after homework

Each week read two books from the neighborhood public library and write a book report

Mother will critique each book report

The boys complained and friends criticized, but nothing swayed Sonya

She told them, "I know you boys have good minds. If you can read, you can learn just about anything you want to know. The doors of the world are open to people who can read."

Before long the friendly public librarians knew both boys well. Each week Sonya Carson carefully read their book reports, asking questions and offering encouragement. (For years it didn't occur to her sons she might not understand every word she read.)

First Bennie read his way through the section on animals and then tackled books about rocks. The crushed rocks along the track now fascinated him. By the middle of his sixth grade, Benjamin led his class.

Ben's biggest challenge

All along Ben struggled with his violent temper, which led to frequent confrontations with classmates. The turning point came when he was 14 and stabbed a friend. Only that boy's heavy metal belt buckle saved his life.

Ben ran home and locked himself in the bathroom with his Bible. He stayed there for hours, asking God to help him deal with his temper. He found many verses about anger in the Book of Proverbs. Proverbs 16:32 pierced his heart:

"Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city."

Ben vowed that with God's help, he would control his anger, rather than let his anger control him. After that his temper no longer troubled him.

Sonya's plan pays big dividends

From then on Ben poured himself into his studies, graduated high school, entered Yale in 1969, then went on to medical school. (Older brother Curtis, became an engineer and designed airplane parts.) At age 33, Benjamin Solomon Carson, M.D., became the director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins. He pioneered in separating co-joined (Siamese) twins.

A committed Christian, he still reads from the Book of Proverbs, morning and evening.

Like Mother, like son

Ben discounts the lifetime effect of poverty and racial prejudice.

"The person who has the most to do with who you are and what you become is you."

"My mother used to say, 'If you walk into an auditorium full of racist, bigoted people … you don't have a problem, they have a problem …'

His philosophy probably stems from from Sonya Carson's frequent admonition to her sons:

"You do your best and God will do the rest."

She lived that principle herself. "My job was to prepare them. And I turned to God for help every inch of the way."

You are equipped to rear your kids

You'll have days you feel life is too hard or think you lack what it takes. If money is tight, you may fear you're shortchanging your children.

Then call Sonya Carson and her courage to mind. Think of the rich gifts she gave her sons in that dismal setting! She spoke courage when she didn't know how she'd get through the week. She set limits for her children, always speaking faith and confidence. They grew strong from within–and so did she.

Not once did she walk alone. Neither do you, if, like Sonya, God is your friend and your partner.

Blessings,

Lenore
Take heart, Mom. You are your child’s biggest “advantage” in life

March 8, 2017
"Ordinary" people who perform heroically usually amaze the rest of us, especially when they seem unimpressed with themselves.

Here's one you won't forget. Meet Nico Calabria, age 20, a standout in every way.

Photo by Carl Calabria

After Nico's birth doctors told his parents their son would never lead a normal life.

Could never lead a normal life.

Yet at Concord-Carlisle (MA) High School he played on the varsity soccer team and the varsity wrestling team.

As a 19-year old he was one of five amateur football (soccer) players featured in Powerade's 2014 FIFA World Cup ad campaign.

Even earlier, at age 13, he climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, the 19,341 ft. peak, set a world record and, by the way, raised $100,000 to provide free wheelchairs to needy people in Tanzania.

He did it all on crutches.

Nico was born without a right hip or leg.

His fascination with soccer balls started early

He first picked one up and played with it as a toddler. An unlikely toy? Sure, but his parents never discouraged him and Nico never viewed his disability as an excuse not to try.

As he told interviewer Mihaela Husar of "Impresive" magazine, "It was hard sometimes, but my family always had a 'no excuse, tough love mentality' when it came to overcoming challenges."

That's easy to say, hard to carry out for any mom or dad, but especially when their child has a disability.

We get a glimpse of Nico growing up

The ad agency hired by PowerAde sports drink produced this heartwarming video about Nico's life when he was chosen to be a member of Team USA of the American Amputee Soccer Association which in 2014 competed in the World Cup.

YouTube picked it up and it immediately went viral.

For Nico it's all about doing what he loves

Nico tells his "Impresive" interviewer some people think he's trying to make a statement by playing soccer with able-bodied people. Not true. He says he never gave up because, "I just love playing soccer."

It helps that he has no hangups about what he can or cannot do.

"I look at disabilities as 'differences in ability.' There's an important distinction. The definition of 'disabled' is basically a long list of synonyms that don't describe me…like 'crippled' and 'weak'."

PowerAde's global communication manager says Nico redefines our outlook on challenges. "Having one leg was his reality, so he chose to view it as an asset rather than a hindrance. … That's what we loved about him."

Here's life according to Nico at age 18: "I've got one leg. You get one life. I'm not going to let the hand I was dealt in life dictate what my life is going to be."

What holds the rest of us back?

It took me way too long to understand the basic, obvious fact that everything hinges on how we think and what we think.

Whatever the circumstances of our life may be, what we think is most important.

That's just as true for you and me as it is for Nico Calabria.

I need to keep reminding myself of that truth, so I collect quotes. Here are some favorites. Each one has at times been on a sticky note on my bathroom mirror or tacked to the bulletin board above my computer.

Life is 10 percent what you make it and 90 percent how you take it. –Irving Berlin

Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right. –Henry Ford

Never, never, never give up! –Winston Churchill

The bottom line for us as Christians

You and I face different challenges, but each one of us has difficulties to overcome. How we look at our lives makes all the difference.

For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. –Proverbs 23:7 NLT

For God gave us a spirit not of fear, but of power and love and self-control. –2 Tim. 1:7 ESV

We know we're not alone. For us, it's God who gives us the right spirit and supplies what we need to live the life He has given us.

That certainty will carry us through each day, each challenge. Count on it.

Still learning,

Lenore

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February 10, 2016
This is a story about overcoming BIG obstacles.

This little charmer was born in 1987, to a mother and father who walked away from the hospital and left her behind.

Permanently.

Enter Sharon and Gerald Bricker, two "ordinary" people who live in tiny Hardinville, IL.

They already had three sons, but Sharon always yearned for a daughter. She told a reporter, "I prayed, 'God give me a little girl that needs a family as bad as I need a little girl.'"

He did.

When the couple learned this 3-month old baby girl was available for adoption they were ready to jump at the chance.

There was just one little thing: She was born without legs.

No matter, they decided. The Brickers quickly applied to adopt, signed all the paperwork, took her home and named her Jennifer.

These two knew from the beginning that their new daughter would require all the love they could give her.

Meet Jennifer Bricker today, champion acrobat and aerialist

She and her parents tell their story on an unforgettable YouTube, titled: "Never say can't." www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho9M6r5RF4A

I've watched it several times and one word comes through to me: Courage.

Courage for Jennifer, of course, but also for Sharon and Gerald, all the way through.

They come across as two good people, solid and strong, who stepped out in faith.

These two non-experts simply loved their child and believed in her. Because of Sharon's earlier remarks, it's safe to say they prayed, probably every minute of every day.

I consider these parents as amazing as their daughter.

In the Bricker family, the same rule applied to everyone

Jennifer traces her attitude to the one simple rule her parents gave her: "Never say 'can't.'"

She remembers them telling her again and again, "'Can't' is not part of your vocabulary. If you just put your mind to it, you can do it."

"If you're never given limits," she says, "then you think, 'I can do anything!'"

So this little "handicapped" girl decided she could be a tumbler, a gymnast and nothing would stop her.

Finding courage to go on

When I imagine Sharon and Gerald Bricker's life. I think how easy and loving and "right" it would have seemed to tell their daughter, "Honey, I'm sorry. You can't be a tumbler because you have no legs . . . You can't play basketball because without legs you couldn't be fast enough . . . You can't play baseball because how could you run the bases?"

And all their friends and neighbors would have said, "You did the right thing. It's a shame, but in her situation how could little Jennifer even think such a thing?"

It took courage to let their daughter try and keep on trying and experience the disappointment and pain until she mastered the skills.

Suppose we, too, adopted "Never say can't" as our motto

What if we removed "can't" from our vocabulary? Or refused to allow it as an excuse within our family?

It sounds almost counter-cultural, doesn't it?

Whatever age we are, it takes courage to murder the word, "can't," and push ourselves to grow stronger and to persevere when it's hard.

Maybe it sounds too simple, but as Christians we know where to find strength and courage to go on. Here are a couple of verses that remind us we are never alone:

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. –Isaiah 41:10

I can do all things through him who strengthens me. –Philippians 4:13

Still learning, too,

Lenore

Note: Because Jennifer Bricker was interviewed on "Family Life Today" on July 15, 2015, it seemed worthwhile to re-post this. She makes us believe we can handle anything, doesn't she?

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July 15, 2015
Maybe you never thought about Maya Angelou until now, after her recent death, when everyone's talking about her.

Maybe you wonder what's the big deal?

I sometimes disagreed with her views , but I admire how she came through a harsh childhood and grew into a calm, balanced woman of accomplishment.

How did she do it?

I think it traces back to her stable, loving grandmother, who spoke faith and hope into this hurting little girl. When Maya was three her dysfunctional father plunked her down to live with his mother-in-law, then four years later snatched her backto live with her mother.

When Maya was eight, her mother's boyfriend raped her. She confided in her older brother, who told the family. The rapist was tried, convicted and jailed.

For one day.

Shortly thereafter, someone murdered him. Blaming herself for the man's death, Maya stopped talking . . . for five years.

The two siblings were sent to live with Grandma, who provided a solid home, frequently reassuring them of Christ's love for them.

How does one survive such experiences?

We can learn a lot from Maya about overcoming pain. Her writings and interviews reveal what kept her from bitterness.

Faith in God:
"I believed that there was a God because I was told it by my grandmother and later by other adults. But when I found that I knew not only that there was God but that I was a child of God, when I understood that, when I comprehended that, more than that, when I internalized that, ingested that, I became courageous."

Take the long view:
"You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.”

Choose to take a positive view of life:
"You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.”
"If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude."

Forgive:
"You can't forgive without loving. And I don't mean sentimentality. I don't mean mush. I mean having enough courage to stand up and say, 'I forgive. I'm finished with it.'

Be authentic:
"If you have only one smile in you, give it to the people you love. Don't be surly at home, then go out in the street and start grinning 'Good morning' at total strangers.”

Be kind:
"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

Recognize your impact on others:
"Each of us, famous or infamous, is a role model for somebody, and if we aren't, we should behave as though we are — cheerful, kind, loving, courteous. Because you can be sure someone is watching and taking deliberate and diligent notes.”

Remember that life is a gift:
Maya's prayer: "I want to thank you, Lord, for life and all that's in it. Thank you for the day and for the hour, and the minute.”

This kind of transformation can't be accomplished on our own

Maya's story reminded me of this verse, which reveals her secret.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. –2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)

Maya Angelou was far from perfect, yet she was forgiven. In Christ, she was a new creation, freed from bitterness and hate.

That's what enabled her to be able to say, "I forgive. I'm finished with it"–and mean it.

You and I can have the same newness of mind and spirit. It's the gift that comes with believing in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior (John 3:16-17.)

Trusting, too,

Lenore

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Learning about life and perseverence from Maya Angelou

June 2, 2014
Few who watched the London Olympics could look away from the shots of Oscar Pistorius, a strong, triumphant athlete.

There he was running on two carbon fiber blades shaped like scythes. Although he failed to qualify for the 400 metre final, this South African counted it a victory simply to compete on an equal basis with "normal" runners.

If you followed his story, you know Oscar was born without fibulas, the long bones that run from knee to ankle. That November 22, 1986, his parents, Sheila and Henke Pistorius, as any of us would, wondered what kind of life lay ahead for their newborn.

Early on they consulted with some of the best doctors in the world. These physicians advised a procedure that left them reeling: Ampute their baby's legs below the knee. Soon.

Doctors assured them their son would face less difficulty learning to walk and would have better mobility all through life. Surgeons performed the amputation before Oscar's first birthday.

Six months later technicians fitted the toddler with his first prosthetic legs.

Never shrinking back

This remarkable family was crazy for sports. Oscar grew up rejecting physical limitations and trying everything, egged on by his mom.

He played rugby and water polo and also wrestled. In 2003 a rugby tackle resulted in torn knee ligaments. Doctors advised him to get into sprinting to rehab his leg and his coach quietly began shape Oscar for a running career.

Through it all, Sheila Pistorius cheered him on. According to her son, she cut him no slack. "She always said the loser isn't the person that gets involved and comes in last, but it's the person that doesn't get involved in the first place."

Henke and Sheila divorced sometime during Oscar's childhood years, after which the three siblings saw little oftheir father. .

Sheila Pistorius died when Oscar was fifteen. In an interview with News24.com, he said his mother "left an indelible mark on me."

What keeps him going

It's heady stuff for any athlete to compete in the Olympic, but Oscar never forgets the source of his strength. He discussed that with Nico Bougas (Assist News Service (ANS) dated June 9, 2012.)

Oscar grew up in a Christian home and accepted Christ as His Savior “more or less before I could remember. God is the most important person in the world to me. If I’m on the right patch spiritually, it helps with everything else.”

Asked why he needs Christ in his life, he says: “Because He is the reason for my success and the one that takes me from strength to strength. Christ makes all the difference. He aids me in my struggles and makes my glories that much greater.”

The ultimate prize

Like many athletes, Oscar has a tattoo, which he got one sleepless night in New York City. It’s a verse from Corinthians: “I do not run like a man running aimlessly.’’

To be specific, the verse is 1 Corinthians 9:26. If we add verse 25, we understand what Oscar Pistorius means:

Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly . . .

The crown stands for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, which brings us eternal life in heaven.

Here's to living with purpose–with or without a tattoo.

Love,

Lenore

A never-quit spirit makes up for deficiencies

August 7, 2012
Sometimes problems crowd in on us, don't they? That makes it a good time to remind ourselves about a few of the individuals who actually faced the big hurdles.

You probably know of Joni Eareckson Tada, who as a teenager was paralyzed from the neck down in 1967 when she dove into a too-shallow lake and broke her neck. During her initial bout with depression she found a deeper faith in God and also a new calling. She speaks to groups, does television interviews, has authored fourteen books and is a fine artist. God has used her to bless countless people with or without physical challenges. (Google her name to learn about the organization she founded, Joni & Friends, a resource and advocacy organization in the disability community.)

History is full of overcomers who chose to keep going instead of giving up. One man, raised in extremely humble circumstances, became a storekeeper and went broke. After that he ran for office and lost election after election. We know that "failure" as Abraham Lincoln.

How about the student labeled "mediocre" in chemistry, whom we know as Louis Pasteur, the scientist?

Or a boy called "too stupid to learn," who went on to develop the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. Albert Einstein became known as the father of modern physics and was one of the most prolific minds in human history.

Then there's the boy called dull and hopeless, who flunked the sixth grade, the one we know as Winston Churchill.

Tell a youngster who loves to sketch and draw that he has no talent. He surprises everyone by growing up to become famous as Walt Disney.

Take a couple who survived a Nazi concentration camp and feel their pain when he is paralyzed from the waist down at age four. They could not know their boy would grow up to become internationally acclaimed concert violinist, Itzhak Perlman, who consistently plays to sellout crowds.

Could a person born with cerebral palsy who never managed to speak clearly ecome a minister and a much-in-demand public speaker? Ask David Ring, who speaks to over 100,000 people every year at conventions, in churches and at gatherings. His recurrent line is, "What's your problem?" (Google his name if you want to know more about him and hear the details of his story.)

I read a list like this and ask myself, "What's your problem?"

Suddenly everyday frustrations shrink to their proper place.

After all, peace does not come from problem-free living. Once again the Apostle Paul says it best, in Philippians 4:7:

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Here's to joy-in-the-midst,

Lenore

Here’s proof that labels and diagnoses need not define a life

July 26, 2011
It's a line we hear a lot, especially on talk shows and newscasts, "He/she never really had a chance."

Oh, yeah?

Meet Anthony Robles, a senior at Arizona State. In March, 2011, he captured the PAC 10 NCAA Wrestling Championship in the 125 lb. class. This came after a season in which he scored 36 wins and 0 losses.

Imagine the shock his 16-year old mother felt as she gazed at her son for the first time. Their problems looked to be insurmountable.

Not necessarily.

"My mom always told me when I was younger that God made me this way for a reason and I didn't understand what that meant," Anthony says.

He told one interviewer he can't remember ever feeling sorry for himself. His mother and stepfather raised him to believe he could do anything he set his mind to.

"I grew up thinking that way. I didn't think of my condition as something that could hold me back. I just thought this is how God made me and I'm going to make the best of it . . . . "

So seven-year old Anthony decided it took too long to put on his prosthesis and abandoned it for crutches. Nobody thought he could do it, but he rode a bike at age five and later played football. A few years ago in the fall he covered the ASU one-mile track in ten minutes. By spring he did it in eight. Regulars got used to seeing Anthony lifting weights, "running" mile-after-mile on the track and climbing the Stadium stairs as part of his training. He even climbed rocky Squaw Peak with his team, making it to the top in half an hour.

"My parents raised me to believe there was nothing I couldn't do," he says.

Coach Thom Ortiz says Anthony never asked for nor expected any special treatment. That reflects his mother's attitude. She told an interviewer. "He is a blessing. Don't treat him like he's something, but don't treat him like he's nothing, either. Just treat him like Anthony."

After college he plans a speaking career. This young man won't need any visual aids, because he is one. He has a powerful message about living with challenges. "It doesn't have to be a missing leg. You could have any obstacle in your life . . . Don't stay concerned with the negatives–what can hold me back, what my disadvantages are. I stay focused on the positive thing–what I have, what I can do."

Judy Robles fascinates me as much as her son. What enabled her to stay instead of walking away from her one-legged son? What kept her from becoming an alcoholic or getting strung out on drugs? Where did she find the strength to go on as she watched her little boy struggle and fall down, again and again?

She could have handled it by saying, "Oh, you poor thing. Here, let Mommy do that for you." Instead, she taught Anthony that God made him the way he is for a reason and if he set his mind to it, he could do anything.

Two kinds of mother love. Two kinds of motivation.

Since we know Judy Robles is a Christian, it seems reasonable to think she depended on God and on Bible verses like this for comfort and to keep her going.

I can do everything through him who gives who gives me strength. –Philippians 4:8

You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book

–Psalm 56:8 (New Living Translation)

So what do you think, does faith in God make a difference in how we face obstacles?

You tell me.

Lovingly,

Lenore

Note: Quotes come from the numerous newspaper and magazine articles I found when I Googled "Anthony Robles."

Does faith in God make a difference when we face obstacles?

April 16, 2011
I met the most amazing woman the other day. She unexpectedly dropped into my Email inbox and once she told her story, I couldn't forget it.

I think it's safe to say you won't forget her, either. For one thing, how often do you meet an individual who is age 106 and still plays Scrabble? Yes, you read that correctly. Alice Herz-Sommer is age 106. In fact, she turns 107 this month.

She is . . . But why not let Alice tell her story in her own words? I encourage you to settle back in your chair and prepare to be entranced. If at the beginning you find her accent difficult, hang in there. After a few seconds you won't notice it. Now just click on the arrow and float away.

For all of us, sometimes life, with its obstacles and challenges and disappointments, seems discouraging, even overwhelming. From now on I'll only have to think of Alice to realize how blessed I've been–and still am.

Although Alice's story is unique, I think she has a message for all of us, for all time: Life is beautiful!

Those three words apply, no matter what's going on in our lives. Let's have the good sense to really understand this now. It's as the Psalmist said, centuries ago:

This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. –-Psalm 118:24

Here's to "living it up" and making the most of every day,

Lenore

Question for you: How did Alice's story touch you?

(Late addtion: My apologies, but the (better) YouTube clip I originally included was suddenly "withdrawn by the user," whatever that means. It seems to be inaccessible from any site. So I'm including a new link here, from The Guardian in London. This one is not as long, but you can hear Alice speaking and also playing her piano. Onceit ends you'll notice other YouTube video thumbnails are shown, such as a two-part BBC TV interview. You can read Alice's story in print at http://nickreedent.com/ which is the website of the maker of the soon-to-be-released documentary about Alice Herz-Sommer.

Of music and hope and seeing the beauty in life . . . no matter what

November 6, 2010
We see the images and wonder how anyone could survive this. And yet…people did.

You've heard the unbelievable stories. Here are two that especially touched my heart. I think these two people have much to teach you and me.

One is Romel Joesph, a Haitian-born music teacher…who was born blind, or so sight-impaired that he is legally blind.

Imagine yourself pinned beneath rubble for eighteen hours, unable to move, not able even to see. Imagine knowing all along that while you were on the third floor when the earthquake struck, your pregnant wife had been on the first floor and you could not know whether she was alive or dead. (She did not survive.)

Romel Joseph told interviewers how he got through that wrenching time. I caught his story while driving and later looked it up in the N.P.R. archives. Here's the gist of how he survived the horror.

"I knew I could not allow my mind to wander and to keep thinking only about rescue. So I decided to keep a strict schedule, hour by hour. I set aside the first twenty minutes for prayer and meditation," Joseph says. "After that I focused my mind on favorite pieces of music I knew, one at a time. I forced myself to concentrate, note by note, as precisely as if I were directing an orchestra. In effect, that took me to another place in my mind. For that time I did not feel my pain, did not allow myself to wonder whether help would arrive.

"Hour by hour, that's what I did. First the prayer and meditation, then the music. So I not only killed time, but I reminded myself I was not alone. I told myself I was brushing up on my directing skills and I mentally escaped the space where I was."

Romel Joseph is no stranger to tragedy. He founded the New Victorian School in 1991, in Port-au-Prince, to teach music to Haitian children. That school burned to the ground exactly ten years to the day before this earthquake once again leveled the school.

Friends dug him out after eighteen hours lying there with his leg pinned and crushed under concrete. Surgeons also repaired his severely fractured left hand, but they cannot say whether he'll regain full function…and what is a violinist without a left hand that works?

But Joseph plans to rebuild as soon as he can. As he puts it, "I need more than an earthquake to make me stop my work in Haiti!"

I think this man shows us how in the midst of fears and troubles we can deliberately turn our thoughts to other things, to people we love, to happier times and, yes, to God. Our situation may not change, but our ability to cope will.

Another rescued woman in a television interview (couldn't find her story in print) told what enabled her to hang on. She said something like this. "I lost everything except what matters most," she said, holding up her Bible. "I could not move, there in the dark, so I searched my memory and remembered some Psalms. I kept repeating them over and over, especially Psalm 46. God brought me through this, praise be, and here I am."

For thousands in Haiti, this was–and is–the worst of times. Thank God most of us will not be caught in anything like that earthquake. Yet I think these two accounts teach us a lot about surviving our own fears and sorrows without crumbling under the load.

Perhaps you love Psalm 46, too. I often find myself going back to my old, dog-eared Bible, to reread sections I've underlined in the past. Always, that includes these favorite verses of Psalm 46.

Psalm 46

¹ God is our refuge and strength,
   an ever-present help in trouble.

² Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
   and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

³ though its waters roar and foam
   and the mountains quake with their surging…

⁵God is within her, she will not fall;

God will help her at break of day…

¹⁰ "Be still, and know that I am God;
   I will be exalted among the nations,
   I will be exalted in the earth."

¹¹ The LORD Almighty is with us;
   the God of Jacob is our fortress.
   Selah

God's peace and blessings,

Lenore

Learning from Haiti survivors how to make it through our tough times

January 27, 2010