Change is one of the constants in life. As things change and obstacles come our way, we have the opportunity to make choices about how we handle them. Strong, successful people accept obstacles as aids to build character and develop fortitude and resilience.
What obstacles have you faced in your life? Which ones have helped you develop fortitude and resilience?
Definitions
Fortitude: strength of mind that enables a person to encounter danger or bear pain or adversity with courage.
Resilience: the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.
Featured Bloggers
- CATH’S CAMERA
- IRENE HEAVEN’S SUNSHINE
- KIRSTIN TROYERS LOVING LIFE
- KL CALEY NEW 2 WRITING
- SADJE LIFE AFTER 50 FOR WOMEN
- TERRI WEBSTER SCHRANDT 2ND WIND LEISURE (SUNDAY STILLS)
Thanks also to the many bloggers who left kind comments on this post. 🙂
IT’S EASY TO PLAY ALONG WITH #WQWWC
This weekly writing challenge runs from Wednesday through Tuesday. The only rule is to use a quote. If you want to participate, create a pingback to link your post. Not sure how to do that? See how to create pingbacks here. Be sure to link to the most recent post not my page. I don’t see links to my page.
My Favorite Quotes
You can’t find a bad quote about either of these two related topics. Here are just a few of the quotes I found and I could write an essay about any one of them.
Affliction is the wholesome soil of virtue, where patience, honor, sweet humility, and calm fortitude, take root and strongly flourish. David Mallet
David Mallet
It would be rewarding to say that I developed fortitude during this time. My husband had wanted to move to the desert for years. I had wanted to stay in my house. This act of destruction to our front landscaping when we were in the process of selling our home, removed my resolve to stay with every chunk of soil loosened. I became more resilient to the idea of moving at least.
One of the duties of fortitude is to keep the weak from receiving injury; another, to check the wrong motions of our own souls; a third, both to disregard humiliations, and to do what is right with an even mind. All these clearly ought to be fulfilled by all Christians, and especially by the clergy.
Saint Ambrose
This staycation revealed one of my sister-in-law’s hidden secrets – extreme fear of heights. Even so she agreed to climb Moro Rock, the signature mountain in Sequoia National Park. I stayed behind her to make sure she was okay. Once she reached this point, she could go no further in spite of the promise of a guardrail just a few steps in front of her.
Had the park put guardrails the entire climb, she might have been able persevere. As the person without the crippling fear, the job of protecting her became my responsibility. Side by side I helped her inch back down to the steps as she clung to the side of the mountain.
In the 1930s, photographers such as Walker Evans and Dorothea Lange produced images of sharecroppers and Okies, which drew attention both to the conditions in which these unfortunates found themselves and to their heroic fortitude.
Geoff Dyer
“Resilience is accepting your new reality, even if it’s less good than the one you had before. You can fight it, you can do nothing but scream about what you’ve lost, or you can accept that and try to put together something that’s good.”
Elizabeth Edwards
My friend and I went to Sonoma to carol with her son’s church. That night it poured. The leaders of the city decided not to cancel the event. The words on the song sheets bled. We realized how many of the carols lost us after the first verse. The intermittent singing brought smiles to those who peeked out of their cozy homes to cheer us on. By the end of the trail, the rain stopped. We saw the Christmas lights reflected in the puddles and appreciated the warm fire and hot chocolate of celebration afterwards.
“My barn having burned down, I can now see the moon.”
Mizuta Masahide (17th century Japanese poet and samurai)
“She stood in the storm and when the wind did not blow her way, she adjusted her sails.”
Elizabeth Edwards
Brief Thoughts
No one goes through life without facing adversity.
For some it may be health, others loss, accidents, financial ruin, prison, failure, or even adventure.
Honoring Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Terri at Second Wind Leisure chose pink as her theme this week for Sunday Stills to bring awareness to breast cancer victims and survivors. Thank you, Terri. As a survivor, I will admit, that it took quite a large dose of persistence and resilience to endure the process of ridding my body of the dreaded cancer tumor,
For five years after surgery, radiation, and chemo, cancer survivors take medication to ensure that it does not return to haunt us in some other less-treatable location – like blood, bones, lungs, or brain.
Breast cancer is no longer the automatic killer it once was. However, it is something to take seriously and check regularly to make sure you catch it early.
Marsha Ingrao - Always Write 
41 responses to “#WQWWC #45: Fortitude or Resilience”
Beautiful and informative content. to God be the glory. you survivor!
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Thank you, Vanessa. 🙂
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Your welcome
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[…] Marsha is the host of WQWWC […]
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Cheers to your sister n law for getting out there and trying to combat hat fear and cheers to you for assisting her ! Awe….🧡
This is a good theme and I saw one of the quotes over at Terri’s early today – I just happened to be online when Sunday stills posted and I was able to skim it before logging off- love when that happens
Anyhow – so many good quotes and mini examples here / the moon after the bath was torn down is a nice thought and also imaging info the Christmas lights in the puddles was powerful 😊🙏
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I loved Terri’s quotes today, especially the Schultz one. My house is not very decorated, though! I enjoyed other people’s decorations.
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Same here – not too much at all- and years ago I thought we were not going to do Xmas lights and my hubs surprised me and out them up – outside – and I remember driving home from teaching on this cold dark night and turning the corner to see the lights! It lifted everything and it dawned on me that one of the reasons for holiday lights is because it helps with the shipper days and longer nights – anyhow – lights are such a nice decor
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I agree. Vince is super with lights. We had tons of the in CA, but we have some here, too.
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Cheers to Vince and Chris (my hubs) for the lights!
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Definitely!
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☀️🧡
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[…] Marsha’s Writers Quotes Wednesdays Writers Choice theme this week is resilience or fortitude. What has this got to do with decorating? Glad you asked! […]
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This was great Marsha. I love the quotes you found. I am afraid of heights so I understand your sister in laws hesitation. I will admit I’m not as afraid as I used to be, but definitely still afraid. However I have pushed myself a bit in the last few years with some hikes we’ve done.
https://troyerslovinglife.blogspot.com/2021/10/wqwwcoctober-20-theme-resilient-or.html
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I am too, Kirstin, but not to the same extent. I have a healthy respect for heights, and I don’t get too close to edges.
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hi Marsha, just posted! http://teandpaper.ca/2021/10/23/resilience/
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Thanks for posting, Elizabeth. I love your work. 🙂
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[…] WQWWC […]
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Hi Marsha, I enjoyed this post. I agree that resilience is a most admirable quality in people. Lately, I have come to realise that even the most resilient of us can be worn down if we life clubs us over the head long enough. At that point, it is time to take action and make changes, but that is, of course, easier said than done. Have a lovely Friday.
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Very good point, Roberta. Have a great weekend. Lots of love and 🤗 and hugs.
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resilience is a wonderful trait to have; congrats to your sister in law, and for you singing in the rain!
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Thanks, Jim. We’re works in progress complete with umbrellas. 🤗🤗🤗
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aren’t we all…
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Hopefully! 🤗🤗🤗
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what a great post filled with resilience and written by one that is so resilient. We don’t know how strong we are until we have no other choice. These are great captures and always love seeing you out in nature. I have to send soil in to see why our fruit trees aren’t thriving. hope each day is getting easier! 💖
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Pretty much everything is easier! Our fruit trees didn’t thrive in CA. The birds got most of the fruit.
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oh that’s so awesome.. I know ALL about that.. 💖
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I think resilience is one of the best traits a person can have. We will be tested throughout our lives and how we respond creates our reality.
Having a fear of heights must be awful. My sister-in-law has it and passed it down to her son (not on purpose, of course). Her son’s wife didn’t want their daughter (my S-I-L’s granddaughter) to have it to so she made an effort to take her on mountain hikes, high up in buildings, and, even, hang gliding. It worked… she is fearless.
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Interesting, My SIL had very dominating parents who didn’t let her her do much and were very protective. She is low on the spectrum but she has learned to do a lot since they passed. Climbing mountains isn’t one of those things, but honestly,I won’t be climbing any mountains either! LOL 😳
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I enjoyed your photos and I can so relate to that fear of heights. Thank goodness you were there to support her. I have my own take on fortitude and resilience. Great topic – thank you.
https://lightwritelife.wordpress.com/2021/10/21/wqwwc-45-fortitude-resilience/
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Thanks, Liana. We are all works in progress. 🥰🥰🥰
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[…] https://alwayswrite.blog/2021/10/20/wqwwc-45-fortitude-or-resilience/ […]
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I feel every bit of your SILs anguish….and I happen to live with a “mountain goat” of a husband….!
thanks for featuring my entry for last week….I really am having a lot of fun contributing.
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My step-son is our mountain goat. I can’t believe some of the escapades he gets his girlfriend to do with him! He is the exact opposite of his aunt.
I’m so glad you are having fun with this challenge. I enjoy all the wonderful responses and the people like you whom I’ve met.
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It’s a lot of work hosting a challenge so I appreciate that you do so and yes it is so interesting to intermingle with people from all around the world
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Thanks Cath. You nailed it – world-wide friendships are a huge draw!!!
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[…] Marsha’s WQWWC , the topic is […]
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You might be the most resilient lady I know, Marsha. Having you by my side would surely fill me with confidence. Love the rain ponchoed carollers. Have a good week, hon!
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Resilience is your new middle name, Marsha! Not only have you battled breast cancer, but you’re also dealing with DVT, all while moving in 2020! Whoever said life was dull, didn’t know anything about resilience! This is a great theme this week and timely for October. Glad you could link up to Sunday Stills and share your inspirational story. I just love the pic of the BC survivors on the Prescott walk!
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Wasn’t she adorable? That was such a great walk. Your pictures just get better and better!!!
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Well thank you, as I blush pink! LOL!
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LOL!
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