Don't Quit

Don't Quit 

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,

When the road you're trudging seems all up hill,

When the funds are low and the debts are high,

And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,

When care is pressing you down a bit,

Rest, if you must — but don't you quit!

Life is queer with it's twists and turns,

As every one of us sometimes learns,

And many a failure turns about

When he might have won had he stuck it out;

Don't give up, though the pace seems slow —

You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than

It seems to a faint and faltering man.

Often the struggler has given up

When he might have captured the victor's cup,

And he learned too late, when the night slipped down,

How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out —

The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,

And you can never tel how close you are.

It may be near when it seems afar;

So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit —

It's when things seem worst that you mustn't quit. 

A little poem from the Railroad Trainman.

My mind often wanders to all the things I hope I am able to teach my children before they leave my care. The list is indeed daunting, but apart from knowing and loving God, I would have to say sticking it out has to be at the top of the list.

I hope to teach all of my children not to quit, but I have to say I feel a stronger responsibility to impart this lesson to my Jackson (with PDD). My mother's heart can't help but wonder what kind of life awaits him. How will he grow and develop? Will he catch up with his peers? How hard will he have to struggle to get what might come naturally for his brother and sister? Will he play sports, make friends and go to college? Will he marry and have children of his own? Will he find and fulfill his calling or at least be gainfully employed? Will he ever leave my home?

Thinking on these things often makes that daunting list grow even longer, but when I'm still and quiet enough to listen I can hear a sweet, soft voice speaking peace to my troubled mother's heart.

"He belongs to Me, I love him even more than you do, and I have a plan"

While more often than not, I have argued with this voice, feeling that there is no one who can love and care for Jackson like me. After all, I am his mother. However, more and more I find myself better able to trust it really is true. God doesn't make mistakes, and He created Jackson exactly the way he is for a purpose.

If I can stick things out and never give up on him or what I've been called to do, I will be the mother Jackson needs. And, if I can help Jackson learn to stick things out and never quit, he'll be what God wants him to be. Whatever the answers are to my questions, he's going to be ok because God really does love him more than I do, and He really does have a plan.