"C" is for Courage

Today's letter in the A-Z Blogging Challenge is the letter "C". I am going to cheat a little here and post something that I blogged last year. I blogged on "Finding the Courage to Pursue Your Dreams". If you read this last year, it is a good reminder for you. If you haven't read it before I hope that you will enjoy the message.

Have you ever had a dream for yourself? How long have you had this dream? I know people that dream all of their lives about something and never fulfill their dream. I know my Grandma worked hard all of her life, saving her money, so she could travel in her later years. For my Grandma, this dream did not come true. Instead of traveling like she wanted to, the money was spent to keep her in a nursing home after a stroke. Looking back at this, I grieve for my Grandma's lost dream.

Many things in life we have no control over. For my Grandma, I am sure she did not plan on having a stroke and living out her life in a nursing home. Maybe, we should not have dreams that may look to be out of our reach? I don't think so, because if we look at the definition of the kind of dream I am speaking about it says:

"a strongly desired goal or purpose; something that fully satisfies a wish "

My greatest dream has always been to write a book. Now publishing that book should be part of that dream, but I have always just said, "write" a book. For many years this dream has been about as far away as the Sun. The past few years this dream is looking like it will become a reality.

Where do we find the courage, deep inside of us, to pursue our dreams?

Columnist Graham Harris said this about courageous people:

"The most courageous people in the world are those who are committed to discovering how they can get the best out of themselves. Individuals, who are committed to learning about and changing, their habits and beliefs in order to fulfil their dreams."

When I think of courage, many people throughout history come to mind,

-Our Founding Fathers

-Abraham Lincoln

-The Pilgrims

-Holocaust Survivors

-9/11 Rescue Workers

-Our American Soldiers throughout our country's history

-Rosa Parks

-Martin Luther King Jr.

-My Pioneer Ancestors

The list of courageous people could go on and on. The power is inside each of us to try to become what we want and are capable of becoming.

I want to end this post with a quote I really love. It says something that we should all remember, whatever it is we are trying to pursue in our lives.

"Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I'll try again tomorrow. ~Mary Anne Radmacher