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How To Inspire Your Grandchildren

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 We rediscovered the following poem recently.  It was written by Edgar Albert Guest.  He was born in the UK in Birmingham in 1881 and died in 1959 having spent most of his life as a newspaperman in America.  This poem, entitled "It Couldn't Be Done",  was probably written in 1917.   It inspired us many years ago and still does today.  Why not show it to your grandchildren and inspire them as well.

It Couldn't Be Done


Somebody said that it couldn’t be done,
    But, he with a chuckle replied
That "maybe it couldn’t," but he would be one
    Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried.
So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
    On his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
    That couldn’t be done, and he did it.

Somebody scoffed: "Oh, you’ll never do that;
    At least no one ever has done it";
But he took off his coat and he took off his hat,
    And the first thing we knew he’d begun it.
With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,
    Without any doubting or quiddit,
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
    That couldn’t be done, and he did it.

There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,
    There are thousands to prophesy failure;
There are thousands to point out to you one by one,
    The dangers that wait to assail you.
But just buckle right in with a bit of a grin,
    Just take off your coat and go to it;
Just start to sing as you tackle the thing
    That "couldn’t be done," and you’ll do it.


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