not too deep for words.

today i'm pondering strength. not necessarily strength for this deployment, although that is weighing on my mind, but strength through out our lives.

once my parents split up, i realized for the first time in my life.. everyone has their stuff. everyone has those heartaches that they don't necessarily wear on their sleeve. they have conversations in which it's not brought to anyone's attention. they have deep hurts that no one can understand, no one can express, and no one can give advice for.

those take strength. strength that we don't even know we have. strength that we never needed before. and strength that only God can provide.

here's some quotes that are enabling my thoughts on this deep, deep word.

It takes more courage to reveal insecurities than to hide them, more strength to relate to people than to dominate them, more “manhood” to abide by thought-out principles rather than blind reflex. Toughness is the soul and spirit, not in muscles and an immature mind.” -Alex Karras

“Anyone can give up, it’s the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that’s true strength.”

Strength is the ability to break a chocolate bar into four pieces with your bare hands- and then eat just one of those pieces. --Judith Viorst

Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from and indomitable will. -Ghandi

“If God sends us on strong paths, we are provided strong shoes.” Corrie TenBoom

(this one absolutely blows me away. if you don't know this lady's story.. check it out. wow, wow, wow.)

“Storms make trees take deeper roots.” -Dolly Parton

here's to being able to think about strength. here's to honoring and realizing the strong people in my life. here's to finding encouragement from that along with praying that i can be the same example to someone else.

here is also to 6 freakin percent left.