Nov 20,2013 Courage is living... without Madeline Rose

Fortune cookie sealed the deal...

I was pondering  yesterday as I was going through old posts about what I wanted to share today.   As I was reading some of my favorites, and trying to decide what would be best for today, I considered my earlier post on Courage, and thought it would go nicely with  a video that was shown at the BYU Homecoming Spectacular in October.  The theme this year for their homecoming was "A Season of Courage" and Taylor and Bailee were spotlighted in a video that was shown on a megatron screen before Taylor sang a couple of solos with the Young Ambassadors.

   THEN...

Yesterday I stopped and got some chinese food, and late last night I decided to open my fortune cookie.  Was I surprised as I read this, in light of what I was thinking about  sharing on the anniversary blog post.

I thought "of all things.. I get this tonight?"  My day had seemed to ooze the last ounce of courage that was left in me.  I was feeling many mixed emotions about the year coming to an end..  a moment when all of my children were still alive.  Another landmark, another door closing.

In a twisted way I was grateful for the encouragement that came from a ridiculous fortune cookie. It sealed the deal...

So in memory of my sweet girl I share this video of Taylor Bailee and Madie, and my blog post that still seems relevant today on Courage....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hI3mKNiX8w&hd=1 Taylor sept 23 Taylor sept 23 www.youtube.com  

                                                                                 March 18, 2013 

Courage....when I was a child I thought courage was getting back up when something knocked me down....While this is true, I have learned it is so much more.

Courage is getting out of bed in the morning, reading something uplifting, facing the challenges of another day, with the complexities of life that make the bed so appealing...

Courage is putting on my mother hat, taking the high road, when I want to be completely self absorbed....

        
  Courage is choosing to smile even when joy seems illusive, vanished... gone

            
 Courage is openly expressing, being vulnerable...

       Courage is saying I'm sorry, even when no ill will was ever intended....

Courage is accepting the Lord's will when I have no idea what he is trying to teach me...

Courage is choosing to be grateful, even in the most trying of circumstances...

Courage is looking outside my own problems, caring about another, choosing to love, even when it isn't returned as I would hope or like it to be...

Courage is discovering my weaknesses and choosing to again work on change, even if it seems to be a futile effort...

Courage is saying goodbye, trusting Heavenly Father when 

our heads are full of "whys"?

Courage is Taylor... singing less than two months after breaking his neck....
Click on picture below to watch a miracle of him singing

Courage is sharing talents in the most difficult of personal situations..

Courage is loving myself even when I look in the mirror and don't recognize the person looking back at me...

  
    Courage is seeking Christ, when I feel such despair...
           

Courage is asking for help when you already feel so indebted...

            Courage is saying no, even when you know it will disappoint another, or be misunderstood...

Courage is looking for the good, ignoring the difficult, trying to see others divine worth...

Courage is leaving my house, engaging in conversations about trivial things, when my brain is screaming other wise...

      Courage is moving forward when the story doesn't have a happy ending ...

Courage is exposing feelings, admitting weaknesses....

 Most of all, courage is living....

                                       

                                                 without Madeline Rose....

I was inspired after watching this video about Ester to write this post...