Invictus

Out of the night that covers me, Black as the Pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be For my unconquerable soul. In the fell clutch of circumstance I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeonings of chance My head is bloody, but unbowed. Beyond this place of wrath and tears Looms but the Horror of the shade, And yet the menace of the years Finds, and shall find, me unafraid. It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll. I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul. William Ernest Henley I am finally watching the movie Invictus.  It is long overdue, but I rarely get opportunity for movies.  This movie was worth watching just to see this poem. I wish I had heard it earlier in life, although this has been my mantra without ever having heard it.  Words are powerful, and I have been influenced by other words that have gotten me through difficult times.   I am no Nelson Mandela, nor do I compare my life to his, but we each have our struggles, and words can lift us, or drown us.  Wherever we find them, how they touch us, may be different for everyone, but we are all influenced in some way by the words we hear. I hope you find words that can lift you.  Words to live by.