Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Detours On the Road to the Starting Gate

I first found this poem in eighth grade as I searched for a piece for a class program. I can't imagine that I knew very much about hardships at that age, but the poem captured my soul and wouldn't let go. The message became my mantra and carried me through many challenging life events. I found it again today among a stack of papers and I am posting it here as a reminder to myself of the inflluence it has had and continues to have in my life.
~ ~ ~
Don't Quit
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit --
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
and many a person turns about
When they might have won had they stuck it out.
Don't give up though the pace seems slow --
You may secceed with another blow.
Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victor's cup;
And he learned too late
when the night came down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out --
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit, --
It's when things seem worst that you musn't quit.
Author Unknown

3 comments:

  1. Oh... this is so beautiful and so true. Thank you so much for this, Leona. Have a wonderful Christmas!

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  2. well, you were a smart little girl and that's great you've had such good advice to guide your life by...I sent you a copy of the poems yesterday. enjoy-merry christmas

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  3. You are a great writer, you should enter this essay contest: www.WinHawaiianHome.com, check it out.

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