There was a time when the energy sources so widely used in our lives today were unknown or unharnessed and people in the developing world sought light, warmth, and industrial materials from the natural world around them. This included (much to the chagrin of today’s environment lovers) the harvesting of whale oil and related byproducts from those massive creatures.

No one can deny sadness in the fact that specific whale populations dwindled as a result. Yet, today I will not condemn the hunters for their eager pursuit. Instead, I will praise them for their courage.

Who among us would be brave enough to take a “sleigh ride” with them? Having our tiny wooden boat dragged over waves at breakneck speeds until the whale grew tired? Then approaching the whale to try and spear it through the heart before it could potentially destroy our boat or drown us with a flick of its flipper or a thrash of its tail?

Certainly not me.

But for all the bravado and upfront bravery displayed by the men, there was a different kind of courage being displayed at the same time.

Who among us would be brave enough to hold down the fort back home? To take care of all the family’s needs without knowing when one’s husband or father or neighbor or friend would return? Or if he would come home?

Certainly not me. (Though I might be more likely to succeed in that latter scenario.)

This was the courage displayed by the women of Nantucket, New Bedford, and many other communities throughout the development, growth, and heyday of the whaling business.

We still know a few of their names presently: these brave men and women who inspire us with their stength and tenacity, with their faith and their faithfulness. But so many of the other names, and stories, have been lost to the passage of time.

Yet, while their stories may now mostly be lost to us, their courage is still worth emulating.

A brilliant courage that stands up to the impossible and even runs right into the face of it.

And a beautiful courage that stays put, firmly committed to those we love through all the storms of life.