Remembering...

It’s almost been a year. I can’t believe it. Thinking back to a year ago, I almost missed my last moments; my last beautiful memories of my auntie. I almost didn’t make the drive to share the day with my auntie – her birthday. I thank God every day for that day. I thank God every day that I did go, and that I did make the beautiful memories I made that day.

Today, my source of inspiration no double comes from one of the most beautiful women I know – my auntie Jill. Through her entire life, she faced challenge after challenge. In 1983, Jill had a brain aneurysm. She fought through the toughest part of this challenge. She survived. She fought through the several years of learning how to talk, walk, read, and right again. She fought through the seizures, the headaches, and the pain. She fought through the frustrations of the entire situation.

There are so many days when I get frustrated and think to myself, why do I keep trying? Wouldn’t it just be easier to do something else? I don’t HAVE to finish this workout. I don’t have to finish this project. Then, immediately I find myself thinking about my auntie. She wouldn’t have quit, just because things were hard. Actually, she would have done the exact opposite – her stubbornness would have set in and she would have pushed harder and worked at it longer. She never gave up.

I saw the progress she made in her life while I was growing up. I watched her become more and more independent after a life altering incident. I saw her smile even though I knew that there were days when she was scared, or frustrated, or angry. But, she still smiled. She still inspired. She still encouraged me never to give up.

She was always one who wanted to do everything for herself. There was always someone ready to step in and help with everything. She didn’t want that. She wanted to do it herself and she wanted to do it herself to continue to strengthen herself and make herself better. This inspires me to want to try harder to do this for myself and to make myself better. She inspires me to never give up, even when things are looking pretty darn grim – and after thinking about Auntie Jill today, I am inspired to try even harder than I ever have.

“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope”

– Martin Luther King, Jr.