He loved to see her happy.

His heart always warmed with joy when he saw her smile  without restrictions. It had not always been like that because she hadn’t always had it easy.

The odds definitely were not in her favour.

He could still remember, like it was yesterday, when she had promised him. “Daddy, one day I’m going to learn to read very well.”

Really,” Frank had asked his daughter, stunned at the determination in her eyes.

“Yes, because I see the way you help me and I want to make you proud of me,” she had told him and rendered him speechless.

Before he had been able to get words past the lump of emotions that formed at his throat, she had raised her pinky up and reiterated her promise. He imitated the move and they clicked it together to seal the promise in the way of kids.

She had been ten, suffering from dyslexia.

It had been vicious trying to get her to read like her mate before they had found out the problem.

That was probably one of the worst days of his life, when he had found out that his little girl had dyslexia. It had been very difficult to accept.

He and his wife had decided to take her to see a child psychologist where they had been taught how to deal with it. He had also done a lot of research and started on her.

It seemed to have paid off. Just now, his daughter was up on the podium, giving her speech as the best graduating student of her university.

He heard nothing she said really but he didn’t need to.

Her story to anybody that bothered to listen was always how her parents stood by her through the trying times.

But he knew better. She couldn’t have gotten her without her personal resolve and determination. And he couldn’t be more proud.

The Odds are not always in our favour, it is not for life to make it easy for us, it is for us to make of life what we want to make out of it beyond all odds.

Are you going to fight the odds and come out on top or are you going to use life as your excuse to fail?

beyond all odds