Blueprint of Excellence

Chapter 27 (cont'd)
"What are you calling this photo?" Sam looked at what had been included and what had been left out of the artistic expression.
"I'm calling it... "How do you see your life?"
"What is the meaning for you?" Sam asked.
"Most of us just see the ashes of our failures but life is more about 'attaining excellence.'"
Simmy reached for 'The Lady, Her Lover, and Her Lord.' She turned to page 52.
"T.D. Jakes says, 'Excellence is an ambition, not a pedigree. It's about the woman's destiny, not her origin. Excellence speaks to her self-perception and the standards that she will not deviate from. It draws a line in the sand and says, "Nothing less than this will do in my life anymore!" A woman of excellence knows what she deserves and will work tirelessly to attain it."
"The burned house is a metaphor for 'life's failures.' But... that one piece of galvanized metal roofing on the barn is so poetic, like the person who patched it, announcing to anyone, 'It's worth fixing! The barn is worth fixing!' The flowers blooming in their natural state is also very poetic- they never give up!
Quoting T.D. again, "Excellence is ...a title given to someone who persists and rises above her calamities. A woman of excellence is armed with a road map that is marked, and her destination is set. This woman has a blueprint for living. A woman of excellence is like a thoroughbred, graceful and strong, a creature of rare beauty. She is a diamond that has started out as coal but turned into a jewel. She is as rich in class as white wine served in a chilled... goblet."
Sam picked up his wine glass and waited for Simmy to raise hers. "To a woman of excellence, you have endured and now you're a beautiful shining jewel capable of leading others into excellence."
"Thank you, my Lord."