Courage

I had a phone call at work the other day from our eldest child (11). He was doing a report for school and needed some help.

"Do you know a good quote from someone about courage?"

"Hmmm. Not off the top of my head," I replied. "Let me take a quick look on Google."

Within seconds I had a bunch of hits and gave him this one from the famous 19th and 20th Century poet Robert Frost:

“The best way out is always through.”

He thanked me and hung up. A few minutes later he called back. "What do you think courage is, Dad?"

First of all, assignment or not, I can't begin to tell you how good I felt being asked that question by my son. It was wonderful. I didn't have an answer. I told him to give me a few minutes to think about it and that I would call him back. That's what I did. And this is what I came up with:

Courage is the willingness to face what you don't want to face, to press into the difficulty, both because it is right and because you know the outcome is worth it.

What I found especially meaningful was that my son challenged me to think beyond the moment. He challenged me to enter a dialogue with him. It's part of the Great Conversation. With his permission, I'll post his work when he's done.

Image from the American Cancer Society website to help raise awareness regarding the fight against ovarian cancer.