An unexpected quote

 

About three quarters of the way through the audiobook The Wright Brothers, a quote came up that delighted me as much as the marvelous historical accounts of the struggles and successes of early flight.

Wilbur and Orville's father Milton wrote to his son after a bad crash of the plane. He said, "We learn much by tribulation and by adversity, our hearts are made better." Of course, I have heard dozens of such inspirational/wise phrases over the years but they were always on a support website or other places where I would expect them to be. Thus, I did not pay attention to them in the way I did, suddenly, when this quote came up in the book.

It is interesting how a person can be affected by something based solely upon when and how they encounter it. I had, for many hours, 'come to know' the Wright family through the book, which includes a wonderful collection of their letters and diary entries. I was much affected by the Big Crash which injured Orville quite badly. I imagined the body and emotional pain he endured. My own emotional and body pain has been spread out over decades but his came all at once. When I heard the narrator read Milton's quote, my ears and heart were open and I absorbed it unlike any other time I had been granted yet another 'hang in there' quote.

I have indeed learned much by tribulation. And adversity has made my heart better, made me reach out to help others because I could understand their  adversity and by helping them, I eased my own somewhat.  

It was a mini reset button for me to hear the wonderful quote, unexpected, in a library audiobook.

- GG