What is the most courageous thing you've ever done?

[BakersDozen]

For me the scariest thing was giving the commencement speech at my college graduation. I was one of those who never spoke in class no matter how small the class size and if the teacher called on me I about fainted. I still can't believe I did what I did, and I didn't faint! :D

[Hillary in KS]

I once raced my Trooper into an alley where I'd just seen a gang of very dangerous men jump a woman and begin assaulting her. I whipped my Trooper around in a smoking U-Turn and came in so fast the truck went airborne and I just missed hitting a couple of the bad guys (who were shocked). I flew out of the vehicle brandishing a machete that I'd just come from having sharpened (convenient :D).

 

There were seven of these thugs, who didn't know WTF was happening. I ordered the woman to get in the vehicle (she was in shock but complied) while I held the bad guys off with the machete and resisted (barely) the temptation to use the thing.

 

Then I got her out of there and safely home. The badly shaken girl refused to go to the police, but I did. And we cleaned up this gang of criminals.

 

Bill

 

:001_huh:

 

Wow!

 

That sounds a lot like a scene from "Twilight!"

[Mama Geek]

Did I mention I didn't think I ever wanted to have kids? (I figured I would mess them up somehow).

 

I had that same feeling for a long time.

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

You all are remarkable human beings. Courage comes in many forms. I don't know which is the most courageous thing I've ever done, but I stood up for a friend in elementary school who was being teased mercilessly for her burned leg. I called the police on my father when he was strangling my mother. I dated a person of a different race from me for 3 years, even though my family and others were against it. People would actually make horrible comments to us and our families. I've travelled alone through foreign countries where I didn't speak the language. In one of those countries, I was being sexually assaulted on the train, and I managed to get the conductor's attention and with a series of hand gestures, indicated to him what was happening. He took the guy away and had him removed from the train. He moved me into another compartment with a little old couple. These are probably the list toppers.

[Donna]

Donated a kidney to my big sister.

 

(Not a happy ending, however. Within a year of the donation, her husband divorced her. This caused her to become clinically depressed, and she stopped taking all her medications. Including her anti-rejection meds. Her body attacked and killed the healthy kidney I had given her. And, just to put the 'icing on the cake', she no longer will even speak to me because of our differing religious theologies. The whole thing totally stinks. We were inseperable, best friends, for 30 years. Now, she won't even answer my emails.)

 

:grouphug: Must be so hard for you.

[Donna]

Wow! So many amazing, brave people on this board!

 

The most courageous things I have ever done are deciding to homeschool my kids even though I was never one to go against the grain prior to that.

 

I also had my kids naturally but that was because I was more afraid of having a needle in my back than going through the pain.

 

I once called the police on my boyfriend's (now husband's) father during a horrible altercation between his father and mother...as he was taking a rake handle to my husband who jumped in between.

 

I regularly go into neighborhoods and homes that are not always the safest to provide physical therapy to babies who need it. I trust that the toy bag I carry will keep me from harm...along with the prayers I send up when really scared.

Edited November 2, 2010 by Donna

[kathkath]

Consenting to go into surgery to have my 28-week baby taken.

[....]

Holy Cow...and then what happened?

 

 

I got out of the truck and explained to them who I was and what I was doing driving through the minefield to get to their Tarmac. I was a translator/interpreter and I was supposed to give instructions from our division commander to their traffic control tower. It was probably the first time they had ever seen an American and I'm sure I looked like I came from another planet. We look like alien robot mercenaries or something. I'm sure we're bizarre-looking. :D If you add in the ability to speak their language....lol. I can only imagine being in their shoes.

[Violet Crown]

Sitting at the back of the church at daily Mass, I saw a guy in front of me get out of his pew, stuff his pockets with cash and envelopes from the collection plate in the aisle, and head for the door. I jumped in front of him and ordered him to put it back. That's when I realized he was over 6 feet (I'm 5'2"), muscled and tattooed, and everyone else was wayyy at the front receiving Communion. He put a dollar bill back and tried to duck past me; I stepped in his way and told him I'd seen how much he took.

 

At that point, a much bigger parishioner stepped in. Yay.

 

The guy was actually pretty meek, but there was definitely a moment of "What am I doing?" And my two small children in the pew watching.

 

Good thing I'd been bad that week and didn't go up to receive.:D

[babysparkler]

Consenting to go into surgery to have my 28-week baby taken.

:grouphug:

[lionfamily1999]

I'd rather not discuss mine (way too much baggage), but I've been holding in a brag since Halloween (I made it two whole days)...

 

We were at a farm for a Halloween party, older ds was swinging by himself (the other kids were running around). He saw a 3 year old in the goat pen. Ds jumped off the swing, started for the pen (to rescue the little boy), but turned and ran and found the little one's parents. No one noticed the tike getting hooved (or however you would call that) in the goat pen. When we got home, ds kept saying, "I am so proud of myself. I remembered everything you said to do in an emergency and I did it just right." I'm proud too :D

[Angie in VA]

Told the doctors it was time to stop torturing my mom by looking for a miracle and to call in hospice. That was 11 months ago yesterday. She died two days later.

 

(((Ethel)))

 

Ditto. Nothing like what some here have done, but telling Mom we were "pulling plugs" and watching the goodbyes b/t her and my dc (and all our family and her friends) was heart-breaking. As bad as it all was, it was a privilege to hold her hand when she died.

 

She died 8 yrs ago (next month) and seeing her say goodbye to my dc is still my saddest memory.

 

Oh, and I may be facing surgery soon and the very thought terrifies me!

[Angie in VA]

Some amazing stories! Wow.

 

I think the most courageous thing I've done was to have an unassisted home birth with our second baby after the first had been an emergency C-section. Thankfully I had 8 months to gear up for it, I didn't have to make a spur of the moment decision like many of you! Everything went perfectly well, and we've had five more the same way since then.

Yes, but what about that bridge??? You know which one I mean! ACK! I'm afraid of bridges and as I get older, my fear grows!

[Angie in VA]

I moved to a different country to live my life helping a group of people I didn't even know. It doesn't seem very courageous though.

 

 

I disagree! I think that takes courage!

[lionfamily1999]

A few pages in now, this thread is incredible :D

Told the doctors it was time to stop torturing my mom by looking for a miracle and to call in hospice. That was 11 months ago yesterday. She died two days later.

:grouphug:

Ethel, may I call you Ethel? Should it get to this point, could I pm you (or even possibly call?). The thought is terrifying and somehow I've become the person listed on everything Mom. I'm the baby for pete's sake! But, my sister and brother said they can't do it and since I'm doing all the doctor appointments it makes more sense (they say) that it's me. I'm scared. I'd love to borrow from your strength if you're alright with that.

Going public with being sexual assault by a pastor and filing charges within the denomination. It's been almost 4 years and he still is not back in ministry :001_smile:

 

Not, keeping silent about it, when so many wanted me to protect the "unity" and not cause "division."

 

Choosing to stay and work on my marriage, when I didn't want to. Learning to trust dh, again.

:grouphug: That's courageous.

[Liz CA]

I got out of the truck and explained to them who I was and what I was doing driving through the minefield to get to their Tarmac. I was a translator/interpreter and I was supposed to give instructions from our division commander to their traffic control tower. It was probably the first time they had ever seen an American and I'm sure I looked like I came from another planet. We look like alien robot mercenaries or something. I'm sure we're bizarre-looking. :D If you add in the ability to speak their language....lol. I can only imagine being in their shoes.

 

This is one of those things that will be told to the nth generation..."great-great-grandma once...."

[*LC]

I have been having a hard time lately. It seems just getting out of bed in the morning is a huge chore.

 

However, in reading this thread, I discovered I have done a lot of things that people view as courageous. I've always just thought of them as things you did to get from Point A to Point B or as things you did because God asked you to do them.

 

I walked into flood waters to rescue a dog.

 

I adopted kids that others had rejected, because of medical issues.

 

I have had a number of kids without drugs, even one that required a pitocin-induced labor. (I must confess my dislike of needles prompted these decisions.)

 

I have travelled to foreign countries or farawy places by myself or only with my kids.

 

I told the opposing baseball coach who berated his pitcher the entire game not to forget that the little boy was only six. (Through friends, I knew the little boy wasn't the coach's son.) I didn't back down or respond in an ugly manner when the coach and his wife followed me to my car to let me know what they thought of me.

 

I continued to live a normal life after my husband was diagnosed with a disease that meant he probably wouldn't live to see all our kids reach adulthood.

 

I told him, a few years later, it was okay to stop fighting when he could no longer speak or move.

 

I told my older kids Daddy was going to die.

 

I spoke at his funeral a week later.

 

Reading your posts was the pep talk I needed. I was able to use my new found courage to get through a school day where a couple of my kids' learning issues were making everything seem impossible. (I did have to take three 15-minute mental-health breaks, and it did take us until 6 p.m. to finish.) I used it today not to go crazy at co-op when I discovered the lead teachers were absent from both the classes I assist, and I taught the classes and ignored a complaint from a parent.

 

And, I will use it to get out of bed in the morning. Thanks again.

[newlifemom]

I have been having a hard time lately. It seems just getting out of bed in the morning is a huge chore.

 

However, in reading this thread, I discovered I have done a lot of things that people view as courageous. I've always just thought of them as things you did to get from Point A to Point B or as things you did because God asked you to do them.

 

I walked into flood waters to rescue a dog.

 

I adopted kids that others had rejected, because of medical issues.

 

I have had a number of kids without drugs, even one that required a pitocin-induced labor. (I must confess my dislike of needles prompted these decisions.)

 

I have travelled to foreign countries or farawy places by myself or only with my kids.

 

I told the opposing baseball coach who berated his pitcher the entire game not to forget that the little boy was only six. (Through friends, I knew the little boy wasn't the coach's son.) I didn't back down or respond in an ugly manner when the coach and his wife followed me to my car to let me know what they thought of me.

 

I continued to live a normal life after my husband was diagnosed with a disease that meant he probably wouldn't live to see all our kids reach adulthood.

 

I told him, a few years later, it was okay to stop fighting when he could no longer speak or move.

 

I told my older kids Daddy was going to die.

 

I spoke at his funeral a week later.

 

Reading your posts was the pep talk I needed. I was able to use my new found courage to get through a school day where a couple of my kids' learning issues were making everything seem impossible. (I did have to take three 15-minute mental-health breaks, and it did take us until 6 p.m. to finish.) I used it today not to go crazy at co-op when I discovered the lead teachers were absent from both the classes I assist, and I taught the classes and ignored a complaint from a parent.

 

And, I will use it to get out of bed in the morning. Thanks again.

 

 

 

Awwww, Wow!:grouphug:

[newlifemom]

For levity's sake:

 

 

I just started a thread about evolution/creation. :tongue_smilie:

 

Actually, you'll are a lot braver than I. Spy Car, you totally rock!

[Alphabetika]

What a very fascinating thread - thank you for starting it.

 

It's hard to know how to answer, because it's hard for me to know whether being courageous means *feeling* courageous, or doing a very hard thing I knew I had to do even though I didn't feel a speck of courage.

 

If I go with the second definition, I would have to say: Visiting my mom daily in the ICU when she was on life support for three weeks. Walking into the room and then to her bedside was the hardest thing I've ever done, because seeing her each time was devastating to me. The blessing in it was that she was able to come off life support and live, contrary to what her doctors and my dad had expected. I praise God for that, and yet I can still close my eyes and see an image of her in that condition, so I know the experience hasn't left me.

[Alyce]

Right after we bought our house we had a couple of teenagers who were walking at the edge of our property in the field behind our house (Our house is on about 3/4 acre of land, there is a field that at that time completely wrapped around our house). I knew they didn't need to be there and that they didn't have permission to be there. The farmer has given my kids permission to play out there after he had picked the soy beans but he didn't let anyone else out there. So I got my husbands shot gun, loaded up both barrels went outside with the gun across my arm half opened and asked them what they were doing there. They told me they were just walking through. I told them they weren't allowed on this property and they better get off it now. Never seen such scared young'un or mom. Told Dh what happened and he laughed at me and wanted to strangle me at the same time. I was the only one home at the time except for my 2 very very young kids. He said I put myself into a very dangerous position and should have called the police but at the same time he couldn't stop laughing at the sight of his wife carrying an armed 2 barrel shot gun cocked over her arm and yelling at someone to get off her property. He said those boys probably thought I was crazy and we wouldn't have anyone coming our this crazy old ladies house for sometime:001_smile: And we haven't either.

[lionfamily1999]

And, I will use it to get out of bed in the morning. Thanks again.

:grouphug: Sometimes that's the most courageous thing a person can do.

[katemary63]

I have been having a hard time lately. It seems just getting out of bed in the morning is a huge chore.

 

However, in reading this thread, I discovered I have done a lot of things that people view as courageous. I've always just thought of them as things you did to get from Point A to Point B or as things you did because God asked you to do them.

 

I walked into flood waters to rescue a dog.

 

I adopted kids that others had rejected, because of medical issues.

 

I have had a number of kids without drugs, even one that required a pitocin-induced labor. (I must confess my dislike of needles prompted these decisions.)

 

I have travelled to foreign countries or farawy places by myself or only with my kids.

 

I told the opposing baseball coach who berated his pitcher the entire game not to forget that the little boy was only six. (Through friends, I knew the little boy wasn't the coach's son.) I didn't back down or respond in an ugly manner when the coach and his wife followed me to my car to let me know what they thought of me.

 

I continued to live a normal life after my husband was diagnosed with a disease that meant he probably wouldn't live to see all our kids reach adulthood.

 

I told him, a few years later, it was okay to stop fighting when he could no longer speak or move.

 

I told my older kids Daddy was going to die.

 

I spoke at his funeral a week later.

 

Reading your posts was the pep talk I needed. I was able to use my new found courage to get through a school day where a couple of my kids' learning issues were making everything seem impossible. (I did have to take three 15-minute mental-health breaks, and it did take us until 6 p.m. to finish.) I used it today not to go crazy at co-op when I discovered the lead teachers were absent from both the classes I assist, and I taught the classes and ignored a complaint from a parent.

 

And, I will use it to get out of bed in the morning. Thanks again.

 

You win. :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

[katemary63]

When I was 16, I finally got up the courage to tell my mother that the elderly relative who spent so much time at our house had been molesting me for years. She responded with a diatribe against my (divorced) father and how he had left her with no money, blah blah blah. I asked what that had to do with anything, and she told me I'd just have to put up with the abuse because she had 4 kids and no money, and the elderly relative was paying the bills. I put my clothes in a grocery bag and left.

 

When I went away to college, my grandfather scraped together the plane fare and an uncle drove me to Newark airport. I got off the plane in Florida with $40 in my pocket, everything I owned in a backpack, and the address of the college on a piece of paper. I was 17.

 

Jackie

 

OMG! To both. :grouphug::grouphug:

[fairfarmhand]

I have been having a hard time lately. It seems just getting out of bed in the morning is a huge chore.

 

However, in reading this thread, I discovered I have done a lot of things that people view as courageous. I've always just thought of them as things you did to get from Point A to Point B or as things you did because God asked you to do them.

 

I walked into flood waters to rescue a dog.

 

I adopted kids that others had rejected, because of medical issues.

 

I have had a number of kids without drugs, even one that required a pitocin-induced labor. (I must confess my dislike of needles prompted these decisions.)

 

I have travelled to foreign countries or farawy places by myself or only with my kids.

 

I told the opposing baseball coach who berated his pitcher the entire game not to forget that the little boy was only six. (Through friends, I knew the little boy wasn't the coach's son.) I didn't back down or respond in an ugly manner when the coach and his wife followed me to my car to let me know what they thought of me.

 

I continued to live a normal life after my husband was diagnosed with a disease that meant he probably wouldn't live to see all our kids reach adulthood.

 

I told him, a few years later, it was okay to stop fighting when he could no longer speak or move.

 

I told my older kids Daddy was going to die.

 

I spoke at his funeral a week later.

 

Reading your posts was the pep talk I needed. I was able to use my new found courage to get through a school day where a couple of my kids' learning issues were making everything seem impossible. (I did have to take three 15-minute mental-health breaks, and it did take us until 6 p.m. to finish.) I used it today not to go crazy at co-op when I discovered the lead teachers were absent from both the classes I assist, and I taught the classes and ignored a complaint from a parent.

 

And, I will use it to get out of bed in the morning. Thanks again.

see, you ARE courageous!!!

 

Way to go!

[Chris in VA]

LC, I know that walking thru jello feeling very well.

:grouphug:

[lionfamily1999]

For levity's sake:

 

 

I just started a thread about evolution/creation. :tongue_smilie:

 

 

You forgot to hand out ten-foot-poles at the door though :p

 

:lol: No one's touching that one.

[justamouse]

 

And, I will use it to get out of bed in the morning. Thanks again.

 

:grouphug:You must have loved him beyond words to be that strong for him.

 

Consenting to go into surgery to have my 28-week baby taken.

 

:grouphug:

[misscometa]

Donated a kidney to my big sister.

 

(Not a happy ending, however. Within a year of the donation, her husband divorced her. This caused her to become clinically depressed, and she stopped taking all her medications. Including her anti-rejection meds. Her body attacked and killed the healthy kidney I had given her. And, just to put the 'icing on the cake', she no longer will even speak to me because of our differing religious theologies. The whole thing totally stinks. We were inseperable, best friends, for 30 years. Now, she won't even answer my emails.)

 

:crying: incredible, I empathize with you!

[SailorMom]

I wrote a letter of support for my ex-BIL. He (and many others in my family) suspected my sister was/is abusing drugs. She had also moved in with a pedophile. He decided to try to get full custody of their son.

She was using, although after two failed tests she magically came up with prescriptions.

Any-who, after months of drama, my family decided it was easier to believe all of the lies my sociopathis sister tells about me. I have, for the most part, cut all ties with my family. Thankfully my DH's family is amazing.

Writing the letter, emailing it to the lawyer, and calling all of my relatives to explain what I did and why were some of the most terrifying moments of my life. Letting go of all of my living family (both parents and all grandparents are already gone), and deciding not to defend myself - as doing so makes sociopaths worse - was also excedingly difficult.

That being said - I would do it all over again.

[catalinakel]

I wrote a letter of support for my ex-BIL. He (and many others in my family) suspected my sister was/is abusing drugs. She had also moved in with a pedophile. He decided to try to get full custody of their son.

She was using, although after two failed tests she magically came up with prescriptions.

Any-who, after months of drama, my family decided it was easier to believe all of the lies my sociopathis sister tells about me. I have, for the most part, cut all ties with my family. Thankfully my DH's family is amazing.

Writing the letter, emailing it to the lawyer, and calling all of my relatives to explain what I did and why were some of the most terrifying moments of my life. Letting go of all of my living family (both parents and all grandparents are already gone), and deciding not to defend myself - as doing so makes sociopaths worse - was also excedingly difficult.

That being said - I would do it all over again.

 

Now that is tough love.....

[Kalypso]

I got a letter in the male from a elderly 'relative' of the family. He had sent me 200 hundred dollars and a 'sorry' card. My Mom asked if something happened. I said, "yes". :) feeling hurt and pain at the idea of explaining what happened, and yet happy that I would now be 'saved', believed.

 

Saying that "Yes", took more courage then anything else I think I have ever done.

 

See then asked me, "Can you handle this yourself?" I looked at her face and knew she wanted me to say, "yes", so I did. She then said, "Good, then we needed talk about this ever again."

 

...I was 10.

 

 

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

[NanceXToo]

Right after we bought our house we had a couple of teenagers who were walking at the edge of our property in the field behind our house (Our house is on about 3/4 acre of land, there is a field that at that time completely wrapped around our house). I knew they didn't need to be there and that they didn't have permission to be there. The farmer has given my kids permission to play out there after he had picked the soy beans but he didn't let anyone else out there. So I got my husbands shot gun, loaded up both barrels went outside with the gun across my arm half opened and asked them what they were doing there. They told me they were just walking through. I told them they weren't allowed on this property and they better get off it now. Never seen such scared young'un or mom.

 

And somewhere out there, there are two teenaged boys (or are they no longer teens?) who would answer this thread with: "Faced some lady who pointed a gun at me because I was walking on her property!" :lol:

 

I'm not sure if I can think if anything truly "courageous."

 

Perhaps it was when I was 17. I was pregnant. For the second time. The first was at 16, and my mother had made me have an abortion. I didn't learn my lesson apparently and was pregnant again about a year or so later. And once again my mother told me I had to have an abortion.

 

But that time, I said no.

 

She said if I wouldn't do it, she would kick me out, that if I was old enough to decide to have a baby, I was old enough to support and take care of myself.

 

So I opened the yellow pages to that "Abortion" section again... because when I'd been standing over her shoulder, I'd seen an ad there that was basically a pro-life agency that was offering "alternatives" to abortion.

 

I spent the next two nights sleeping once at a friend's house and once in my then-boyfriend's car (he lived at home with his parents, who didn't like me, and who certainly weren't going to volunteer to let me stay at THEIR house). And I called that place and made an appointment, went there, and agreed to let them get me set up in a group home for pregnant and parenting teens.

 

And I gave up all my "freedom" to go live in that group home, following all of their rules, so I'd have a place to live. Oh, and I was a high school drop out. So I also used that time to get my GED and to finally get my learner's permit to drive.

 

I ended up deciding the rules were too stifling for me and I left there. Went through some struggles, for sure, trying to get a job with no skills and renting a room in one of my manager's houses and making enough money between my telemarketing job and my boyfriend's unskilled labor job to pay said rent and so on. Had my baby (who is now almost 19 years old) when I was 18. Made up with "Grandma" who offered to let me and baby move back into her house rather than the truly crappy basement apartment we were then living in.

 

Took her up on that offer- temporarily.

 

And when said baby was four months old, like the day after I turned 19, I decided I REALLY needed to do something to better my life- and hers. Sitting home with a baby all day watching Jerry Springer was getting boring. I didn't want to get a job at McDonald's or something, which was probably all an 18/19 year old high school drop out with no job skills could do (and who would watch the baby while I got a job anyway? I'd never get one with enough money to pay for daycare or whatever).

 

So I called that group home up again and begged to be allowed to come back. Which might have been the second most courageous thing I'd eve done. :)

 

I returned and used the full one year of that program to its fullest extent- free childcare while I started and finished my first year of a two year business college, a roof over my head, parenting classes, and so on. Got my driver's license. Followed every one of their rules and did what I had to do.

 

Went from there into another one year program where they set you up in your own apartment at no cost and have a caseworker come visit you weekly to work on goals and becoming independent and so on.

 

Finished my second year of college while I was there.

 

Graduated with a 3.95 average and an AOS degree. Got my first car.

 

Left there and got a pretty good job as an administrative assistant. Closed out my social services/welfare case very soon afterward.

 

I'll always be grateful those programs were available to me when I needed them.

 

It was hard for a while, there. That first child had developmental delays and mental retardation and my whole life revolved around various early intervention programs, raising her, school/work, etc. And then, although I'd married her father at age 21 after college, I split up with him about two years later by age 23, and lived as a single mom for a couple of years, until I moved in with hubby number two (and proceeded to have two more children with him)...

 

So, yeah, my life has revolved around my kids since I was 18 years old and it was not always easy, but I am glad I stood my ground to my mother that time way back when (although I do sometimes wonder how things might have been different if I'd said no the first time I was pregnant and she wanted me to terminate it)!

[charlotteb]

This just happened this year:

Giving up nearly everything I owned (house, belongings, extended family, friends, etc) to move across the country and serve as a missionary (with dh) at a Native American children's home.

[SweetMissMagnolia]

moved out the first time......lol I lived at home until I met my dh (I was 30) and was absolutely terrified of leaving home......I was spoiled I guess LOL and never HAD to live on my own or pay rent or whatever until I moved in with DH.......