Overcoming Obstacles

Greetings!

Hello, Trixie fans! We are back with our Wisdom Wednesday post, and I hope to share some words that will inspire a layout or two.

A week or so ago while I was choosing the quote for this post, our local news was highlighting the victims and survivors of the Oklahoma City bombing. We just marked the 20th anniversary of that tragedy this past weekend, and there has been a lot of focus on how both the victims’ families and the city itself has overcome that horrific event. And so the thought to find a quote about “overcoming” got stuck in my mind.

Of course, not every obstacle or event that we overcome is quite that monumental. For instance, this week, my daughter and her schoolmates are taking state tests. For some of the kids, the test is not a big deal, but it’s pretty obvious that for some, this is a struggle and they are working hard to do their best. There are also fears that we overcome…perhaps speaking in public, flying, or an eight-legged critter is something that you work hard to get past.

The Wisdom of Wilma Rudolph

Years ago, I read a book about Olympian Wilma Rudolph. Her story is a fascinating one. The woman who would go on to win gold medals in track had actually been stricken with polio and scarlet fever as a child. Her left leg and foot were left twisted as a result of infantile paralysis, resulting in her having to wear a brace until she was about nine years old. And yet she overcame her disabilities and became one of the greatest athletes of her age. This is what she has to say about overcoming life’s obstacles:

When the sun is shining I can do anything; no mountain is too high, no trouble too difficult to overcome.

Layout Inspiration

The layout that I created using the quote features photos that I took at the Oklahoma City National Memorial. The small inset photo is of the Survivor Tree, which was nearly destroyed in the bombing, but came back and is now beautiful and thriving. The faded photo in the background is of chairs along the reflection pond…there is one chair for each of the 168 people killed in the bombing. I used Trixie’s God Gave Me You collection to create my layout. I also altered a template from Trixie’s Star Struck Vol 19: Stacey, which is now retired.