Monday Motivation - Are You Having a Hard Day?

There are days in which everything seems to be conspiring to overwhelm us.  A step back in our finances.  Kids who just WON'T cooperate.  A frustrating day at work.  A fender-bender on the way to the grocery store.  An oven that decided to stop heating just as you were putting in the dinner you had spent an hour putting together.

These days are hard.  I know, I've had a lot of them lately.  These days seem to sit on top of you, and threaten to suffocate.  The pile of problems and annoyances start to feel much larger and heavier than the sum of its parts.

How do we overcome days like this and keep moving toward our goals?  Sometimes, it helps to hear the story of someone who has overcome much, much more. 

I was so inspired by this story about 64-year-old Ruby Chaucer.  I can't imagine the hardships and pain she must push through every day in order to pursue her dream.  It puts into perspective all of the little problems that have made me feel so bogged down.  I have been trying to work and grow while fighting with appliances, kids, and angry drivers.  She has been trying to work and grow while fighting for her life.

"What she cared about was school. She took tests for her classes online from her hospital bed. She wrote essays on a cramped little desk at home. She did her homework while her hair was falling out, and she did her homework when her kidneys were shutting down.

Sometimes, she would cry. But she never let anyone see.

She did it for herself. But she also did it for her son, Brian, who died in 2010, when he was 35. She said Brian worried about her when he was alive, worried about whether she’d be able to take care of herself.

Brian is her guardian angel, she says. By returning to school, she’s shown him that he doesn’t have to worry anymore.

'I just want him to know that his mama’s happy and she’s goin’ on with her life,' she says."

You can read the entire story from the Dallas Morning News here.