Turning Tragedy into Triumph

Tonight, I sit here around midnight, unable to sleep for some reason. I am physically exhausted but restless at the same time. I am thinking about what it means to be "tested" and "tried" in this life. In life you always here of those brave people that have overcome incredible odds to achieve or do something great. Joseph Smith, Lance Armstrong, Helen Keller, these are a few people that come to mind, that overcame "the odds" to achieve something great. What qualities did they all posess? Faith, courage, endurance, unwaivering strength of will. The ability to turn tragedy into triumph. To see past the obstacle or challenge to see the end result and have the strength to reach it.
There are ordinary people, who everyday do something extraordinary, they live! They live, with the loss of loved ones, with an addiction they control, with a debilitating illness, with abuse. We all either know or are one of these Brave Souls. The extraordinary people that won't back down when that adversity is staring us in the face. The people that will seize control of our fear and use it to fuel our courage. To forge a fire that blazes in the very depths of our soul, that we may stand strong against our challenges. We all were given an amazing and wonderful gift, when we entered this existence, the freedom to choose. We can choose who and what we are in this life. No one forces us to be a certain way, eventualy we all take control of our own thoughts, actions, well being, and path in life. This power to choose is a blessing but can also be our downfall. If we channel our desires, goals, and dreams, we can achieve anything we want. If we choose to let our emotions, namely fear and anger run our lives then we become a slave to them. We have chosen to give in and not fight for what is truly our intended purpose on this earth, happiness.
There are those that suffer devastating tragedies everyday. (Just turn on your local news if you don't believe this) But each of these victims or families of victims are given the power to choose how they face this adversity. They can let their fear take over their life or they can mourn and face that tragedy everyday and say "I'm not gonna let you beat me...ever!" The people that can get up and say that everyday are truly extraordinary. I am so grateful to have known so many "extraordinary ordinary" people in my life. I have watched loved ones that have beat drug addiction, I have watched loved ones deal with the loss of family and friends, I have seen divorce, abuse, painful personal loss, and I have had personal hardships as well. In these experiences, I have seen someone get to the absolute lowest they can go, they've been hit harder than they ever imagined possible, and yet they rise up, they stare their fear and anger and pain in the face and say "I'm not gonna let you beat me...ever!" They have chosen to turn tragedy into triumph. They have chosen to do something extraordinary! they have chosen to live! I once heard someone say " It's not about how hard you can hit, it's about how hard you can get hit, and fall down, and then you get back up!" How true is that statement? It really is the hardest times in our life that allow us to show what we're really made of and how hard we can get "hit" and get back up and stare your challenge in the face.
I am so grateful for all of the hard times in my life, they have shown me what I am made of and how hard I can get hit and get back up. I have stared adversity in the face and have fought it every day. I now stare Cancer in the face everyday and I say "I'm not gonna let you beat me...ever!" I have made my choice, I will fight forever if necessary.
What choice will you make? Will you give into fear and cower before adversity, or will you stand and face it and say "I'm not gonna let you beat me...ever!" Will you turn tragedy, even a small tragedy into triumph? I truly hope you will!