Strength

Over the last few days I have been contemplating the word strength. It is very subjective what we consider to be strong. And each thing that is strong or the way in which we use the word is within a context.

For example, if I am standing on a log across a stream, is the log I am balancing on strong? Yes. Would it still be strong if I invite my five friends to join me? Probably not. As human beings we seem to be the same way. The interesting thing though is this perception business. We may perceive how strong someone can be, and their perception may be completely different based on their own subjectivity. It is very easy for one to think they have a certain amount of strength and to continually surpass that when life's circumstances require strength beyond measure.

I have been blessed in my life to be surrounded by such strong beings. To all of them I say thank you. Thank you for being so courageous and for continuing to move forward when life presents obstacles that are beyond imagination.

I think about my great-great-grandmother who became pregnant at a very young age and refused to marry. She was kicked out of the church and her family, yet she kept moving forward and never gave up. I think about children and families with cancer on the bone marrow transplant floor back in Pittsburgh in the 90's. I think about the children with severe medical conditions and disabilities that I work with now that have to live with unimaginable challenges every day. I think about my dear cat kennel customer who is leaving tomorrow for a bone marrow transplant and my neighbor who walks with courage down the street without hair as she endures the effects of chemo. I think about my co-worker who so bravely documented her journey through cancer and through her first of many triathlons. I think about another co-worker who has advocated for her son through profound seizure disorder that has left him seizure-free but with many challenges ahead. I think about my daughter and how challenging it is to be a teenager when life happens to plate up some really difficult experiences. I think about friends and family members who have been abused as children and yet they go on to help others and be positive examples of how one can survive. I think about my neighbors who so beautifully cared for their dying mother and how they advocated for her in the last days of her life. I think about my friend who has consistently surpassed what was imaginable and has gone on to raise two beautiful kids while helping them grieve the death of their father. I think about my friend sitting in prison and yet still calling his daughter every week to keep up with her life while maintaining a positive attitude and sound in his voice. I think about my mother who has cared for so many loved ones as they have aged and died. Some have been more graceful through their process than others, yet my mother has continually been there for them. I think about my dear teacher who continues to give to others in so many ways while living in a body that just isn't working properly. I think about an amazingly strong woman who despite her body's limitations continues to care for beautiful young foster-children with medical needs beyond imagination. There are so many others I think about too.

It is easy to get lost when one is in the midst of something that feels really hard. I know that is true for me. It does feel really hard some days. Some days I can't imagine how I can keep going. People tell me how strong I am but in some moments, in many moments, I don't feel strong. It helps me to think about all of the people I remember as being strong. I can bet they didn't feel strong in the midst of their journey. The message for me to is to keep going.

One day I will be able to look back on all of this and not just see how hard it was. I will also see the strength. And then I will be the one that someone thinks about when they contemplate what strong is to them.