This episode contains graphic descriptions and audio that may be upsetting to some listeners.

Listener discretion is advised.

What is your definition of strength? Is it defined by the amount of weight you can lift in the

gym, or by what you can endure in your life and still keep moving

forward. I find that the most important strength that a person can possess is within their own

spirit. Physical strength, while important, can only help a person so much. The other day,

I read a quote from an American playwright by the name of Horton Foot that

said, I believe very deeply in the human spirit, and I have a sense of awe about it.

I look around and ask, what makes the difference?

What is it?

I have known people the world has thrown everything at, to discourage them, to kill them, to break their spirit, and yet

something about them retains a dignity. This quote was very powerful to me. We all have faced

trials and tribulations in our life to varying degrees of difficulty. I have had my struggles that have left me helpless and in despair,

and I think you'll be hard-pressed to find a person

who hasn't felt this way at one time or another.

Life is a cruel force that can truly test us in ways that we never thought imaginable,

and it can try and break you down.

What we have to decide is, is if we're going to

let it or not. Honestly, sometimes the easiest thing to do is to just lay down and allow our

hope to be extinguished. Most of the stories I have read and spoken about do not have happy

beginnings, middles, or endings.

But every once in a while, you will come across a story of resilience, patience, and survival

...