Endure

Quote for the Week

"He conquers who endures." So said Persius, as in Aulus Persius Flaccus of Volterra, a town in the Tuscany region of Italy. Persius, a Roman poet and satirist whose work is generally best remembered for its interpretation of Roman Stoicism.

Stoicism, a school of Hellenistic philosophy founded in Athens by Zeno in the early 3rd century BC, was based on the belief that destructive emotions were the result of errors in judgment. Stoics thought that a wise person, a sage, was not subject to negative emotions and was therefore free of misfortune. If only.

Born Stoic

Personally, I think Persius may have developed a stoic wisdom at a young age as a result of losing his father when he was 6, and then his stepfather a few years later. By the age of 12, he'd been sent to Rome to study. Perhaps his written work and his fascination with Stoicism were a result of those early losses. After all, writers write what they know. One loses, and one either rises above the devastation or sinks beneath its weight.

"He conquers who endures."

This past week has been difficult. That's why both my blogs lie fallow. This is just the beginning of a medical odyssey that, more than likely, won't be completed until next year. However, we are in endurance mode.

My daughter, my husband, and I are trying to do. We're trying to endure my daughter's medical problems and complications and just hang on, giving time to heal and restore health. Of course, more surgery and expert doctors figure into the equation along with a huge quantity of God's grace.

Takeaway Truth

We can get bitter at what life throws our way, or we can get better at dealing with it. The choice is always ours.