Unbroken

[Rosie]

I haven't posted here in a while, but was inspired by a Facebook discussion with Laura Hildebrand, who wrote the current bestseller "Unbroken". I don't know how many of you have read it, but it details the life of Louis Zamperini, an Olympic athlete who was a pilot in WWII, shot down, and survived over 30 days in a raft only to be captured by the Japanese and interred in a horrific POW camp. Laura Hildebrand suffers from severe Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, has severe vertigo, and rarely is well enough to leave her house. I want to share the following quote, that I found very meaningful:

http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=1 ... &topic=466

How has my life changed? I think working on this book has given me a much better appreciation of the breadth of possibility in life. None of us is going to be a castaway on a raft, or trapped in a POW camp, but all of us are going to come to places in our lives in which we can't see a way to push through. The greatest lesson in Louie's life is that a resilient will can carry us very far, through things that seem unsurvivable. I carry that lesson with me as I deal with obstacles in my own life.

One thing that really stood out in almost every interview was how the stories these men were telling me, while full of hardship and suffering, were not simply tales of woe. They were stories of perseverance, of overcoming, and in that way, they were tremendously inspiring. Louie's life, and the lives of the other men and women that I interviewed, are lessons in resilience. They showed me how much we can overcome if we apply our will.

In my own life, I struggle with a devastating disease that at times leaves me grasping for a way to keep going. I carry the lessons of my interviewees with me, and by reminding myself that they found a way through, I am inspired and strengthened. I am so grateful to all of them for that gift. It was a gift I wanted to share with my readers.

Rosie

[JoAnn]

Thanks Rosie, it's always inspiring to learn about people who have faced and coped with incredible challenges and gives me a boost to "carry on". I'm going to put that book on my list of future reads. Thanks for sharing, JoAnn