Catholic Singles

Don't Give Up
WWJWMTD
BY: MARK ANTHONY ROSOLOWSKI


When I was in first grade, we were handed a book, we opened the book to the first page and saw letters on the page. We asked Sister what those letters were and she replied that they were words. What are words we asked, Sister smiled at us as she explained words were a group of letters put together and she was going to teach us the joy of reading, we all struggled to get out, "See oops! run, run oops! run." We made a lot of mistakes and pronounced the words slowly and carefully, with Sister in the front of the room encouraging each reader, and telling us, "Don't give up." We didn't give up, we worked hard and soon we were able to read, the book with no problems, with Sister always telling us, "Don't give up." I actually was in a rush to get to the next book, "See oops! and Jane Run"; I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see how it turned out.

But those three words, "Don't Give Up", really never had much meaning to me till much later in my life:

My wife and I were happily married, in other words my wife was happy and I was married, actually I was very happy as well. As we were living our lives, talking and dreaming about our future, how we would grow old together, live out our lives as one. We always enjoyed talking about moving to Corpus Christi, Texas, (where I was stationed when I was in the Navy) when we were able to retire and live out our lives, we had both fallen in love with Corpus Christi. But that was not to be, she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and due to complications with pneumonia she passed away before we could live out our dream.

But it was during those years that she was sick, she taught me the real meaning of, “Don’t give up.” It was a lesson I was taught years before, but now I would watch as she showed me the courage of "Don't give up." It started out slowly she started to have problems with everyday tasks, holding a glass became a challenge, but as the glass fell to the floor she would pick it up and start again, she never cried or stopped, she would turn away all assistance, living by the words, "Don't give up".

When walking became difficult, she started to use a cane, it slowed her down, but she did not stop. She was a nurse and went to work everyday, never missing a day because she was tired or was having problems she forged on ahead. I remember seeing her walk through the snow with the cane refusing help she would say she had to do it on her own, yet I watched her to make sure she was safe. As I would watch, there would be tears in my eyes as she struggled, as I would wish that she would let me help her, I would be whispering to her "I love you". She showed me what, "Don't give up," really meant.

Even though she did not give up the disease continued to weaken her, in time she went to two canes for awhile and then finally she had to use a walker. She would still go to work everyday she was determined to beat the MS, I watched her becoming weaker, but I also saw the determination in her eyes. But no matter how hard she fought, the disease finally started to win and there came the day that her doctor told her she had to quit working because the all that the working was doing was making the MS worse. She did finally stop working after a hard fight to keep on working, but the fact that she was no longer working did not stop her, she continued to fight the disease, but she was losing the fight, but the worse the MS got the more resolved she became to beating it, she refused to stop, she was living her life by the words, "Don't give up."

When she had to go to a wheelchair, she still continued to fight, at therapy she would struggle to get up at the parallel bars and struggle to walk, I would try to help her, she would tell me she had to do it herself, just stand there and help if she needed it, she would exhaust herself but she was never able to walk again, she still bravely lived by the adage, “Don’t give up.”

She lived bravely and fought bravely, she never stopped fighting, never stopped working on beating the MS, when she finally became too tired to fight, she laid her head down and went home, she was my inspiration, she etched into my heart, “Don’t give up”

Now that I have had a heart attack, a stroke and also have MS. I think of her and when I am at therapy, I work that little bit harder, I push myself that extra step, I struggle that little bit more. At times when walking becomes difficult for me, I look at my cane and my walker, the walker would be easier, would be less of a struggle, less of a fight, but I use the cane, in my mind I hear, "Don't give up." MS is a challenge that God has placed before me, I will meet this challenge head on and I will repeat to my self, “Don’t give up”, in order to honor His Greater Glory.

God has placed before each and every one of us different difficulties, different challenges and has placed different in our paths. It is how we face these challenges, difficulties and obstacles that make us who we are. Do we just give up when faced with a problem and ask why me? Sit and brood over it. Or do we look at the situation, pull ourselves up, meet the challenge head on and fight. A few years back people were walking around with bracelets, had bumper stickers on their cars, wore t-shirts the proclaimed “WWJD”, “What Would Jesus Do” carry that one step farther “WWJWMTD“, “What Would Jesus Want Me To Do”, then go out, face anything that is in your way and remember, “Don’t give up.”