mary anne em radmacher 

Courage doesn't always roar.

Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, (whispering), "I will try again tomorrow."

This is the last portion of a poem I wrote in 1985. It has evolved over time. It has been coopted by folks from product manufacturers to the President of the Morman Church. It has been lawfully and respectfully licensed and presented on cards, posters, plaques, cups and any number of other products.  In its life of over thirty years I have seen this poem be pressed into service at significant moments in our collective lives.

After 9/11 there were police stations and fire houses  on the east coast who put it on banners and hung it above their vehicle bays.  When Senator Cory Booker faces another steep climb with the mountain of work he does in the world, he will often use this piece to indiciate he absolutely plans to keep on trying.

I am grateful when I hear the many ways these words have been used to inspire and heal.  I think it's a rare opportunity for an author to be alive while their words travel so far and get to "come home" to tell the story of the work they have done. I am blessed. And, please, let me know if you have a story about this poem and its place in your life....you can write me here.