"Stubborn Courage"

You may remember last year when I mentioned this mule
in a post I did about a trip to Wyoming.
Mules are known to be a bit stubborn...
But have you ever thought about stubbornness as a good thing?

Earlier this spring I was asked to give a talk
to our Compassionate Friends group,
and the title of my talk was
"STUBBORN COURAGE".

At the time I gave the talk,
I was grieving the affects of cancer
that appeared to be consuming the life of my sister.
A friend of mine had given me a book entitled
"A Tearful Celebration:
Finding God in the Midst of Loss"
by James Means.

Toward the end of the book the author used the term
"STUBBORN COURAGE",
and the words just seemed to jump off the page at me.
I began to write down thoughts about the subject.
Here are a few of them that I shared with our
local Compassionate Friends group.

STUBBORN COURAGE can be a gift from God
to keep us going when we feel like giving up.
It's hanging in there when you don't know
how to handle your feelings,
don't know what to do,
and don't even know how to pray!

STUBBORN COURAGE is a determination
to keep on going even when you feel like God has failed you,
and He hasn't met your expectations.

STUBBORN COURAGE grows my ability to trust God again,
even if He doesn't answer my prayers the way I want.
In the process, He molds my character,
and makes me more understanding of others.

STUBBORN COURAGE helps me to determine to
take control of negative thoughts that would try to get me down.
A counselor friend of mine says,
"You may not be able to control your emotions,
but you CAN control your thoughts,
and your thoughts can change your emotions."
Philippians 4;6-9 tells us not to be anxious,
but to think on good and lovely things,
and then God restores our peace.

STUBBORN COURAGE is putting one foot in front of the other,
trusting God,
muddling through difficulties and challenges,
and then looking back and seeing that God was there all the time!
It was God who dried our tears.
It was God who gave us the strength to go on
when we felt like we could go no further.
It was God who put a friend in our path,
someone to put their arms around us
or give us an encouraging word or smile.
It was God who gave us the courage to HOPE again,
and to DARE TO BELIEVE in His goodness.

Meet my friend Jim Davis,
a cancer survivor,
who lives to encourage
other cancer victims.

In my opinion,
he is someone who exemplifies
STUBBORN COURAGE.

One of his quotes is:
"...Milk the life out of every breath
until the last one comes"!
You can find out more about his story HERE.


Thanks for stopping by!
I hope this post on STUBBORN COURAGE is an encouragement to you.
Many thanks to my husband's cousin,
(and also my friend)
who reminded me of a promise to do this post!
Here it is, Sharon!

Don't forget to check out my Names for God on Rocks
on Rock4Today!

Compassionate Friends Balloon Release

A Great Tradition!

Meet Charlotte Repp,
the leader of
"The Compassionate Friends of the Twin Lakes Area".
Don't let this smile fool you!
Charlotte has her own tragic story, and was featured
in the February 13th issue of the Baxter Bulletin this year.
(Click on highlighted letters to see the article.)

Maybe this is why she is so passionate about her work!
This year was not the first time she has organized
a successful gathering of persons
who needed to release some grief.

And this year was no exception.
Music and food are good for the soul!

And there was plenty of both!

Including an Ice Cream Truck!

After tummies were filled,
and hearts were encouraged,
small papers were handed out for survivors
to write a note which would be tied to a balloon.

I'm not sure what others wrote,
but I addressed mine to my nephew Joel.
He had spent much time with our family in his youth,
and was like a son to me.
After a valiant fight with glioblastoma brain cancer,
he was escorted to heaven last September.

I based this message to him on these words from Jesus
found in John's Gospel: “Don’t let this throw you.
You trust God, don’t you?
Trust me.
There is plenty of room for you in my Father’s home.
 If that weren’t so,
would I have told you
that I’m on my way to get a room ready for you?
And if I’m on my way to get your room ready,
I’ll come back and get you so you can live where I live."

We gathered below the Ruthvin Bridge in Cotter, AR
at the White River.

Fog began forming on the river
as we prepared for this solemn moment.

...A very moving moment...

Tears fell from many faces as balloons ascended.
The cloud behind the balloons looked to me like
an angel cloud of witnesses to the event!

Higher and higher till they were out of sight.

The main focus of the Compassionate Friends is to 

"...promote and aid in the positive solution of the grief experienced

 by families upon the death of a child..."

The Compassionate Friends Credo:

"We need not walk alone.

We are the Compassionate Friends.

We reach out to each other with love,

with understanding, and with hope.

The children we mourn have died at all ages

and from many different causes,

but our love for them unites us.

Your pain becomes my pain,

just as your hope becomes my hope.

We come together from all walks of life,

from many different circumstances.

We are a unique family because we represent

many races, creeds, and relationships.

We are young, and we are old.

Some of us are far along in our grief,

but others still feel a grief so fresh 

and so intensely painful 

that they feel helpless and see no hope.

Some of us have found our faith to be a source of strength,

while some of us are struggling to find answers.

Some of us are angry,

filled with guilt or in deep depression,

while others radiate an inner peace.

But whatever pain we bring to this gathering of

The Compassionate Friends,

it is pain we will share,

just as we share with each other

our love for the children who have died.

We are all seeking and struggling 

to build a future for ourselves,

but we are committed to building a future together.

We reach out to each other in love 

to share the pain as well as the joy,

share the anger as well as the peace,

share the faith as well as the doubts,

and help each other to grieve as well as to grow.

We need not walk alone."

Copyright 2007 The Compassionate Friends

For those in the Twin Lakes Area who may be interested,

meetings are held the first Thursday of every month

from 6:00 to 8:00 o'clock PM

at The Hospice of the Ozarks Administrative Building

701 Burnett Drive,

Mountain Home, AR 726253

Phone 870-508-1789.

"You can shed tears that your child is gone,

Or you can smile because they have lived.

You can close your eyes and pray that they will come back,

Or you can open your eyes and see all your child has left.

Your heart can be empty because you can't see your child,

Or you can be full of the love you shared.

You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday,

Or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.

You can remember your child only that they are gone,

Or you can cherish the memories and let your child live on.

You can cry and close your mind,

Be empty and turn your back,

Or you can do what your child would want:

Smile, open your eyes, love and go on."

by David Harkins 1981

 "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you: 

not as the world gives do I give to you. 

Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

John 14:27