DETERMINATION AND PERSISTENCE...

This is a real life story of engineer John Roebling
building the Brooklyn Bridge in New York, USA
back in 1870.

The bridge was completed in 1883, after 13 years.
In 1883, a creative engineer named John Roebling
was inspired by an idea to build a spectacular
bridge connecting New York with the Long Island.

However bridge building experts throughout the
world thought that this was an impossible feat and
told Roebling to forget the idea.
It just could not be done. It was not practical.
It had never been done before.
Roebling could not ignore the vision he had in his
mind of this bridge. He thought about it all the
time and he knew deep in his heart that it could be
done.

He just had to share the dream with someone else.
After much discussion and persuasion he managed
to convince his son Washington, an up and coming
engineer, that the bridge in fact could be built.
Working together for the first time, the father and
son developed concepts of how it could be
accomplished and how the obstacles could be
overcome.

With great excitement and inspiration, and the
headiness of a wild challenge before them, they
hired their crew and began to build their dream
bridge.

The project started well, but when it was only a
few months underway a tragic accident on the site
took the life of John Roebling.
Washington was also injured and left with a certain
amount of brain damage, which resulted in him not
being able to talk or walk.
“We told them so.” “Crazy men and their crazy
dreams.” “It’s foolish to chase wild visions.”

Everyone had a negative comment to make and felt
that the project should be scrapped since the
Roeblings were the only ones who knew how the
bridge could be built.
In spite of his handicap Washington was never
discouraged and still had a burning desire to
complete the bridge and his mind was still as
sharp as ever.

He tried to inspire and pass on his enthusiasm to
some of his friends, but they were too daunted by
the task.

As he lay on his bed in his hospital room, with the
sunlight streaming through the windows, a gentle
breeze blew the flimsy white curtains apart and he
was able to see the sky and the tops of the trees
outside for just a moment.
It seemed that there was a message for him not to
give up.

Suddenly an idea hit him.
All he could do was move one finger and he
decided to make the best use of it. By moving this,
he slowly developed a code of communication with
his wife.

He touched his wife’s arm with that finger,
indicating to her that he wanted her to call the
engineers again. Then he used the same method
of tapping her arm to tell the engineers what to do.
It seemed foolish but the project was under way
again.

For 13 years Washington tapped out his
instructions with his finger on his wife’s arm, until
the bridge was finally completed.

Today the spectacular Brooklyn Bridge stands in
all its glory as a tribute to the triumph of one
man’s indomitable spirit and his determination not
to be defeated by circumstances.
It is also a tribute to the engineers and their team
work, and to their faith in a man who was
considered mad by half the world. It stands too as
a tangible monument to the love and devotion of
his wife who for 13 long years patiently decoded
the messages of her husband and told the
engineers what to do.

Perhaps this is one of the best examples of a
never-say-die attitude that overcomes a terrible
physical handicap and achieves an impossible
goal.

Often when we face obstacles in our day-to-day
life, our hurdles seem very small in comparison to
what many others have to face.
The Brooklyn Bridge shows us that dreams that
seem impossible can be realised with
determination and persistence, no matter what the
odds are.

Don't let anyone kill your dream...
You can achieve that goal if you are determined to
work towards it.
The Time To Start Is Now!!!