Courage on demand
In the summer of 1991, my husband and I were vacationing in Ireland. Being
good American tourists, we naturally visited the Blarney Castle. And of
course, when you visit the Blarney Castle, you kiss the Blarney Stone, a very
big stone laying on the towering mountain, to pray for blessings. Well, to get
to the Blarney Stone, you have to walk up several flights of narrow stairs.
I have always had a fear of heights and am very claustrophobic, so I told my
husband to go without me and then let me know if I could do it. When my
husband got back to watch over me, I partly gasped partly asked him, “Well,
what do you think? Do you think I can do it?” and before he could answer,
two little old ladies came up to me and said, “Honey, if we can do it, you can
do it!” So, I tried to hold my steps leaving behind my fear of heights and
going ahead. At last, we set foot on the peak and together kissed the
wonderous Blarney Stone!
About a month after I returned from Ireland, I found out a terrible truth - I
had breast cancer. I needed chemotherapy as soon as possible to prevent
cancer cells from spreading. The doctor was obligated to tell me all the
things that might happen to me even the worst, as a result of the
chemotherapy. He said I might lose my hair, I might become violently sick
to my stomach, I might have severe diarrhea, I might run a high fever, my
jaw might lock, and so on. Then he asked, “Are you ready to start?” Oh
yeah! I really felt ready to start now!
While my husband and I were sitting in the waiting room, waiting for my
treatment, I suddenly became very anxious and scared. I turned to him and
said, “Do you think I can do this?” Sitting across from us were two little old
ladies who had just completed their chemo treatment! Their faces seemed to
have no sore. At that moment, my husband tenderly took my hand and
caressingly said, “Doll, I believe this is going to be just like we were at the
Blarney Castle! If they can do it, you can do it!” And I did it!
Do you know the really neat thing about courage? It shows up when you
