Dorothy Custer is the definition of gumption. Listen to her tell the story of how she met her husband, then at 2:10 she reveals the secret to long life (btw, it's the cutest thing ever).
When Larissa met Ian at college in 2005, she never dreamed she'd one day be his wife ... and his caretaker. After a tragic accident left Ian without the ability to speak, walk or care for himself, she did what any woman in love would do: she married him.
"There will always be the older white woman in Walmart who stared at us with sheer disgust, or the African-American mother who looked at us and just shook her head.”
“This is the story of a little girl’s love of a green dress, a mother who tries to instill independence, and how those two things came together in the most epic and brilliant combination possible."
I’ve watched parents go crazy with enthusiasm when a kid does well. I’ve also seen them go stone cold silent when things take a turn for the worse. That silence speaks volumes into the heart of a child. As a result, kids grow up desperately chasing applause, and that usually gets twisted into a fragile, warped sense of self-worth.
My boys (14 and 10) can confidently navigate self-checkout, withdraw cash from an ATM, pump gas, make phone calls with confidence, order groceries, manage an Excel budget, order an Uber, etc. because I refuse to send them into the workforce without basic skills."
"I accused them of happily draining the life out of me. I told them if I collapsed, they would probably just step over my lifeless body and keep going. One child stopped doing dishes and said, 'Wow, that is dark.' I had to chuckle inside."
"In the grand scheme of things, who they are and who they’re becoming is much more important and will have greater lasting effects than any extra-curricular success or making the 'A' honor roll ever will."
"I want to teach my sons that it’s okay to doubt God, have questions and not completely understand everything God does. God is big enough to handle our doubts, our questions, and our concerns."
