#If August 6

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Joseph Rudyard Kipling was an English journalist, short-story writer, poet, and novelist and author of the poem IF.

He was born in India, which inspired much of his work. His poetry has lots of messages and a school boy I can remember we often had to recite verses from some of his works from memory.

There was also a professor at UNC Pembroke named Dr. Carl Fisher who could recite a particular poem by Rudyard Kipling. Often while nursing a scotch at Lacey Gane’s home on Barker Ten Mile Rd. in Lumberton NC he would entertain all in attendance with his recitation of the poem “Gunga Din”.

The poem I believe that provides great life advice by Kipling is titled IF.

The first 4 lines are below:

IF you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;

Kipling reminds us, “IF you can trust yourself” there may no better gift.