Never give up

you might be close to something good.

Pond Reflections © Kathryn LeRoy

Hello friends,

One summer day, I looked out the window when I heard the sound of a hand saw. With all the strength he could muster with his thin, boney arm, our son pushed and pulled the saw blade across the one-by-four inch board, barely making a dent into the wood.

I don’t remember how much time passed, but more than the typical attention span of a child who wanted results quickly.  Finally, I could tell he could use some adult intervention, or at least a larger or, better yet, an electric saw. I opened the back door.

“Do you need any help? And just what are you planning to do with that board?

Without looking up or stopping, he stated the facts.

“I’m building a table, a magic table for my magic tricks.”

Although he got a little help with the table, the first board was all his. The folding magic table entertained his classmates, and we regularly held magic shows at family gatherings because he never gave up.

Why do we approach some tasks with unbelievable willpower and push ourselves beyond our capabilities? Whether it’s perseverance, resilience, or plain hard-headedness, staying the course always requires a mindset that this is possible. We have to figure it out, learn from our mistakes, and keep going.

This week, I wasn’t sure l had that mindset when all the photos I had taken looked like ghostly images. I carefully determined the lighting and adjusted all the camera settings, but every shot looked, well, bad.

I could have given up, but I couldn’t stop until I figured out what was wrong. After a couple of hours, I found it. I inadvertently changed an exposure setting.

What if our son had given up on his vision of a magic table? What if I had given up on learning about my camera?

We would have missed tons of laughter and amazement at life's magic, and photos would not exist.

Dreams, visions, and hopes don’t need to be big ideas or things. They only need us never to give up.

I’ve learned over and over to Never Give Up—You Don’t Know What Surprise Awaits.

One of my favorite researchers, Brené Brown, talks about Surrounding Yourself With People Who Take Pleasure in Your Joy and her newest book Atlas of the Heart.

Josh Groban has just the words and voice to remind you That You Are Loved (Don’t Give Up).

You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream. 
—Audrey Hepburn

Find a little wonder this week as you never give up.

Coreopsis © Kathryn LeRoy

Hibiscus © Kathryn LeRoy

With gratitude,

Kathryn

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