"Unbroken"

This was a book of the same name about a former soldier, now 96 years old, who survived World War II against enormous odds and still continues today to live a life of strength and resilience.

Recently in Runners World I read a story about a runner who missed his chance to compete in the Olympics for a second time due to war service. It talked about his endurance through it all, even after being captured by the Japanese. Once while a prisoner of war in camp he ran a race against another knowing he would be beaten for his victory but it would greatly lift the morale of other prisoners to see him win.

What I didn't know until the end of the article is that both this story and the above book are about the same person, Louie Zamperini. It got me thinking about what it means to remain "unbroken."

While Louie's story above is a tale of the extreme end of the spectrum, there are so many levels of strength one can pull from within to remain whole in times of crisis. This can be as simple as a moment a person makes it through that gets them to the next one....intact.

I had a reminder of this today from my father when I called him to say hello and he told me he had seen a bouquet of flowers while at the grocery store this morning and brought them home for my mother. Even though she passed away last fall he can still buy her flowers sometimes, he said. He put them in the living room where he could see them from his chair.....it will have been their 50th Anniversary next month. He is enduring day by day, remaining resilient and unbroken.

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption....by Laura Hillenbrand

This book has been optioned and is in development for a filmy version by Ethan and Joel Coen.