Blog – 10-30-19 I had one of my best birthdays ever last week! I was in the Black Hills with my Mom and my sisters and sister-in-law for our annual girls’ trip. As a special treat for our trip, one of my brother-in-law’s was able to secure a special tour of the Crazy Horse memorial in Custer. As you can see from the picture below, we were able to go right to the top of the monument and walk out on Crazy Horse’s arm. So cool!
I was very moved by a couple of things that day. First off, the carving itself is spectacular. The artist, Korczak Ziolkowski, was able to capture incredible feeling in the cold, stone slab of the mountain. As I looked into Crazy Horse’s eyes, I was overcome by the fierce determination I saw in them. I also felt a deep sense of mourning emanating from them. The sculptor was able to capture the pride and passion of this great warrior in a remarkable way. See for yourself below.
The other thing that stirred my spirit that day was the intense passion of the artist himself and his family. Korczak had a dream from which he never wavered. You see, Korczak didn’t only want to carve the mountain. Korczak’s master plan for Crazy Horse Memorial has three major goals: the mountain carving, the Indian Museum of North America, and the University and Medical Training Center for the North American Indian. He believed in the humanitarian purpose of Crazy Horse so strongly that he twice turned down $10 million in federal funding because he didn’t believe the government would carry out the important cultural and educational goals of the project. Korczak and his wife, Ruth, had 10 children; and when he died suddenly and unexpectedly in 1982, his family continued to carry the torch of his dream. His children and grandchildren are dedicating their lives to the vision of their father and grandfather as they work on the carving process itself, raise funds to complete the project, and do whatever it takes to fulfill the legacy their father had dedicated most of his adult life to. And since its inception back in 1947, this has not been an easy dream to fulfill. The project has taken much longer than expected, it has faced numerous financial and weather setbacks, it has been tedious and back-breaking work, yet it keeps going. The dedication I felt from the family members we met is intense. They will NOT quit until it is completed, no matter how long it takes. And that commitment is truly extraordinary when you realize that it has become the largest sculptural undertaking the world has ever known, funded entirely by the free enterprise system that Korczak so strongly believed in. When you hear more of the story and learn about the financial hardships, serious injuries, blizzards, and extreme ridicule Korczak faced while following his dream, you can’t help but be inspired by his perseverance. His intense passion for the gift he felt called to give the world is a testament to the power of the human spirit. And when you see firsthand the commitment on the part of his family to not give up on his dream, your heart can’t help but be moved. If you have a dream that’s bigger than you, if you face criticism or pushback from skeptics around you, if your dream is taking longer to come true than you thought it would, I want to encourage you to take a moment right now and look deep into the eyes of Crazy Horse above. Let those eyes spur you on to fulfill the dreams God has placed in your heart! And never lose your passion! Hugs and love, Jill