Don't Quit

Stella, I want to share a story with you. If you want to know what lead me to write you this note you can ask when you're older. 

It happened a while back when I was still in school. I was having a ruff time with things and my parents knew it. So I think your Grandma Gonzalez went out and bought me something to give me from the both of them. They have always supported me and they have always allowed me to believe that anything was possible. But they were realist. Not about the destination, but about the journey. Translation: they made your dad a dreamer but they made sure he knew that it would be hard work. 

So I got home from work one day and found this small card with a poem on my desk. Don't know much about where it originated or any background on it but I am sure it came from some store that sold motivational material. 

This was the poem:

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 its twists and turns,

As everyone 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.

Success is failure turned inside out,

The silver tine of the clouds of doubt,

And you never can tell how close you are,

It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit,

It's when things seem worse,

That you must not quit. 

I keep this card around because it reminds me that despite the fact that things can sometimes get difficult, the most important thing is to remember that its all part of the journey. 

I just wanted to put this little note in your blog so you can have it for days when you might have a hard time. Consider it a standing note from your mother and I. 

This is a photo from around the time you were a few weeks old. I was thinking about it today and realized it had not made the blog. Boy have you grown.