The Bridge Builder

An old man going down a lone highway
Came in the evening cold and gray
To a chasm vast and deep and wide
Through which was flowing  a sullen tide.
The old man crossed in the twilight dim;
That swollen stream held no fears for him;
But he turned when safe on the other side
And built a bridge to span the tide.

"Old man," said a fellow pilgrim near,
"You are wasting your strength with building here;
Your journey will end with the ending day;
You never again must pass this way;
You have crossed the chasm deep and wide --
Why build you this bridge at the eventide?"

The builder lifted his old gray head.
"Good friend, in the path I have come," he said,
"There followeth after me today
A youth whose feet must pass this way.
This swollen stream which was naught to me
To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be;
He, too, must cross in the twilight dim;
Good friend, I am building the bridge for him."

Are You Strong Enough To Handle Critics?

"It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.  The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again because there is not effort without error and shortcomings, who knows the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the high achievement of triumph and who at worst, if he fails while daring greatly, knows his place shall never be with those timid and cold souls who know neither victory nor defeat." - Theodore Roosevelt; 26th President of the United States 

What Is Class?

"Class never runs scared.  It is sure-footed and confident in the knowledge that you can meet life head-on and handle whatever comes along.

Jacob had it.  Esau didn't.  Symbolically, we can look to Jacob's wrestling match with the angel.  Those who have class have wrestled with their own personal "angel" and won a victory that marks them thereafter.

Class never makes excuses.  It takes its lumps and learns from past mistakes.

Class is considerate of others.  It knows that good manners are nothing more than a series of petty sacrifices.

Class bespeaks an aristocracy that has nothing to do with ancestors or money.  The most affluent blueblood can be totally without class while the descendant of a Welsh miner may ooze class from every pore.

Class never tries to build itself up by tearing others down.

Class is already up and need not strive to look better by making others look worse.

Class can "walk with kings and keep its virtue, and talk with crowds and keep the common touch."  Everyone is comfortable with the person who has class - because he is comfortable with himself.

If you have class, you don't need much of anything else.  If you don't have it, no matter what else you have - it doesn't make much difference."

An excerpt from the book "The Edge" written and published by Howard E. Ferguson.

Running Down A Dream

Opportunities present themselves to us each and everyday.

But often we fail to cease them with everything we have.

They come and go as often as we blink our tempted eyes.

We many times forget that we’re running down a dream.

We lay in bed each day and night, just thinking to ourselves,

How sweet the future will be when we get to where we’re going.

People’s influence in our everyday lives is so very important,

They may have significant impact while we’re running down a dream.

Connections often are broken, but many times are a seekers best friend.

We need to be go-getters in this race that we run so swiftly,

Because if we only sit back and wait for wants to fall into our lap,

We will fail in every attempt of running down a dream.

Thinking to the future that lies so mysteriously ahead of us,

We often get views of things that we tell our mind it’s impossible.

But go out and pursue, and cease every moment of everyday,

And you will see that you are closer than you think to running down a dream.

For every door that closes, they say that another door always opens.

We need to believe that truth, and know that God will also open windows,

For multiple choices of hunting down that thrilling passion,

That will benefit in your endeavor of running down a dream.

Don’t be afraid to start a conversation with a well-known famous stranger,

For he or she is excited to share what they have learned in their life also.

They’ve traveled down the same paths that you are trudging this present day,

And they realize the desire in your heart of the same passion of running down a dream.

The journey that you set your feet on is going to be full of ups and it’s share of downs,

But always find the positives in every fault that opens up in your way.

Find a way around it, over it, or even better yet, through it,

And set your eyes straight forward on the ultimate goal of running down a dream.

Victory will taste so sweet when at the end of your path you reach the inn.

The triumph over the enemies and haters will feel so sensational.

Stay focused on the prize and keep the ever burning passion alive inside your soul,

And you will enjoy success in accomplishing the task of running down a dream!

@CoachWingreen