THURSDAY THOUGHTS - Persistence and Determination

Recently I was reading a talk by a revered leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints named Melvin J Ballard. His topic was the importance of focused and concentrated Commitment. Immediately my mind filled with examples I see of this all around me. First, I have a neighbor who just buried her second special needs child. It will take concentration and persistence for her to progress through the holidays despite her recent heart brake, just as it took those same qualities for her to care for this child until she died three weeks ago. I also have a friend up the street whose husband is in the final stages of M.S. It takes persistence and concentration to care for his many and varied needs, so for now, other concerns and opportunities will have to wait. Another neighbor of mine is facing foreclosure on her home. By focusing and persistently concentrating on the situation at hand, they are moving ahead in the way they need to for the best results. Across the street is a family where the husband is in stage four liver failure and his wife has Lukemia. It is a full time job just to keep up with doctor appointments, treatments and medications. Many other interests have been shelved for now. And these are just the people on my block!

 I work at a bank and for many families, the economy has literally turned their lives upside down financially. With job losses and interest income virtually disappearing, new skills are being developed to navigate their way forward. My clients with Cancer are doing just as I did when I had the disease. Other concerns take a back seat while they concentrate on the things that will make them heal. New parents or parents in general, achieve success by persevering and concentrating on situations as they arise because each child is unique with individual concerns. My father is progressing forward with his life after my mother’s death nearly a year ago. He is concentrating on moving ahead as he makes a concerted effort to leave his grief behind him. What a difficult process this is! I also have a very dear friend from high school who just buried his wife the day before Thanksgiving. She died of ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease.). She was only 54 years old. During her illness (she was diagnosed in July of 2011) their six children, their spouses and the grandchildren put most other endeavors aside as they focused and concentrated on her care, making her last days the very best they could be.

Calvin Coolidge penned a wonderful quote in which he said: “Nothing in the world can take the place of persistency and concentration on one thing at a time. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The watch  word  ”hang on” has solved and always will solve most problems of the human race.” I am grateful for the great examples of brave and focused persistence all around me, so when the tough times hit (as we know they will someday) I will think of them, learn from their examples, and I will not fail.

Kathy Christensen