courage

"Courage is not the absence of fear,

 but rather the judgment that something is more important than fear. 

The brave may not live forever,

 but the cautious do not live at all"

caroline was watching Princess Diaries the other day
while i was working.
i overheard the portion of the movie where Mia is reading the letter
her daddy, the prince of Genovia wrote to her
as quoted above.

i sat & pondered that quote.
as you know, i battle with fear.
years ago i remember being so strong that i proudly
carried the "pull your bootstraps up & get on with it" attitude.
maybe it's age
maybe it's the realization of the frailty of our lives
but i feel much more vulnerable now
than i did back in those days.

i sometimes think back & wonder
where that girl went. the one who fearlessly lived.
who worked multiple jobs, seemingly effortlessly
& never seemed tired.
i know she's still in here with me,
she's just walked through the valley of the shadow a few times
& seen loved ones go on before her
& watched others battle so many hard trials.
she's fought her own battles too
thankfully never alone.

my favorite photographer of all time,
the one who most certainly planted the seed of loving beautiful images
in my heart,
posted this on fb the other day.
i grew up with him taking our family photos &
then was blessed to have him photograph both my weddings.
such an amazing photographer!
the above shot was what he envisioned
& then entered in a contest years ago.
she's the one who was fearless
 so i thought ya'll would get a kick out of seeing that image!

~~~

i have a couple friends who are really in a tough place right now.
they feel alone & somedays abandoned
questioning how much longer
& why.
i see their bravery and courage in the face of adversity
many of the friends around them oblivious to the challenge they have ahead of them every day.

our worship leader at our church posted this last night
 & i was mesmerized not only buy the beauty of the video
but the lyrics just washed over my heart...
so i post this today to share with them
& pray it ministers to you too.

{{He's faithful forever
perfect in love
He is sovereign over us
even what the enemy means for evil
He turns for our good
& for His glory.
even in the valley He is faithful

His plan is still to prosper
He has not forgotten us
He is with us in the fire & the flood....
faithful forever
He is sovereign over us}}