Strength in All Things

Strength is an awesome thing, it is many things.  It is your muscles, it is you mind, it is your spirit. You are either a person with great strength who is admired by all around you or you are the person that caves with the weakness you surround yourself  with. I have often seen people with great strength in my life, people I admire and try to be more like.  One of my great weakness' was smoking, that is not an issue for me anymore, however I do struggle as I am only two weeks into my quit.
  My blog today is about strength and where we pull our strength from.  I pull mine from my family mostly as they are the people I am the closest to.  My children are always a reminder to me how strong and healthy I need to be.  They need me healthy, mind, body, and spirit. My job is to lead by example.  By smoking I was being a poor example for them.  Id tell my oldest not to smoke, drink, or do drugs, while I was puffing away.  Not a good example. Now she sees me struggle to quit, and sees that it was a poor choice to start in the first place.
My parents are true lessons of strength.  They have fought for a life for all six of us children, always giving, always showing strength in their choices.  Some choices were definitely not chosen for being an easy road.  It seems to me that they often took paths less traveled.  They are an awesome pair.  They give advise and experience so that I may choose better paths.  My mother a true model of strength, this woman gives to her family her time, and advise. Call her and she will be there, without fail. Yell at her; she will listen and advise. Trust her and she will not let you down. If I could be half the mother she is it will be enough to make most children happy. I love her deeply. My father a compass of strength.  He is strong in his unwavering ways. He stands for what he believes in. Even if he stands alone. This man is true to himself and those who believe in him. He is there for us when asked of him. I love him dearly.
My siblings are also models of strength. My oldest sister battles with her own demons and has shown nothing but love and acceptance of others.  She could be bitter and hateful to the world, but instead love and hugs are what is given. Her love and trust in God for all things is what drive her. To her I give the award for Strength Of Spirit. She is inspiring. My 2nd older sister has had a tough life the past five years due to circumstances beyond her control. Most women would have ran, took a one way ticket to anywhere but here. She stays, she loves, she maintains, she manages. She brings tears to my eyes. To her I give the award to for Strength Of Mind. She is amazing. My younger sister has been my protector. Always looking out for me. She is the strongest person I know.  She can do so much, there has never been any thing she couldn't do that she put her mind to. (Its the red hair, it makes her stubborn!) She does everything with willful determination, she conquers like Joan of Arc. (no tragic ending though). To her I give her I give the award for Strength of Body. My Lil brother is also a show of strength, he uses his mind  for all things. It is all carefully analyzed before a move is made.  Sometimes he just gives b.s answers to see if he can get away with it, and I often fall prey to these. Thankfully his eyes twinkle or I'd miss it. So to him I give the award of  Strength of Mind, but he should get the award for Strength of B.S! I love you Lil Bro :)
I also find strength in friends how they handle their family, work and life.  They each have their own trials and tribulations to go through. They each have their own strength to handle them. They are all admirable in their own ways.

Confront the dark parts of yourself, and work to banish them with illumination and forgiveness. Your willingness to wrestle with your demons will cause your angels to sing.  Use the pain as fuel, as reminder of your strength.

-August Wilson   American Writer 1945-2005