May 26, 2026 Local Stories in and Around St. Joseph, Illinois

“It couldn’t be done” read by Erica Guelfi

It Couldn’t Be Done
BY EDGAR ALBERT GUEST
Somebody said that it couldn’t be done
      But he with a chuckle replied
That “maybe it couldn’t,” but he would be one
      Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried.
So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
      On his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
      That couldn’t be done, and he did it!

Somebody scoffed: “Oh, you’ll never do that;
      At least no one ever has done it;”
But he took off his coat and he took off his hat
      And the first thing we knew he’d begun it.
With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,
      Without any doubting or quiddit,
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
      That couldn’t be done, and he did it.

There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,
      There are thousands to prophesy failure,
There are thousands to point out to you one by one,
      The dangers that wait to assail you.
But just buckle in with a bit of a grin,
      Just take off your coat and go to it;
Just start in to sing as you tackle the thing
      That “cannot be done,” and you’ll do it.

Watch the SJO graduation ceremony here.

Banner
Related Posts

Athletic complex to be dedicated tonight

April 16, 2021

April 16, 2021

 The St. Joseph-Ogden School District will honor Glenn Fisher tonight.The district voted in June 2020 to name the athletic complex...

Kids say…

June 17, 2019

June 17, 2019

Every week we ask five St. Joseph area students a question about farming. Today, five students from PVO South tell...

How I get it done …. with Jennifer Huls Wayland

October 14, 2022

October 14, 2022

We asked local business owners to describe their leadership style and how they make decisions. This week we talked to...

10 things you don’t know about me… Cliff Hastings

October 14, 2022

October 14, 2022

We asked the owner of Prime Time Volleyball and the Parkland Head Volleyball Coach to tell us 10 interesting facts...

As children go back to school why is it important that they wear masks?

October 1, 2021

October 1, 2021

By: Jeanelle Murphy, DO As Covid-19 continues to thrive due to the delta variant it is more important than ever...

St. Joseph Middle School 8th grade high honor roll

April 7, 2022

April 7, 2022

ST. JOSEPH MIDDLE SCHOOL —  3rd Quarter, 2021-2022 8th Grade High Honor Roll Ames, Trevor Barrowman, Lexie Beyers, Kaitlyn Bird,...

‘I’m so excited for this journey’ Schlueter to open restaurant in former Scratch location

October 10, 2022

October 10, 2022

40 Eighty-Eight is coming to St. Joseph. Owner Christian Schlueter said he chose the name for his new restaurant because...

More than 35 students quarantining at SJO

April 21, 2021

April 21, 2021

More than 35 students at St. Joseph-Ogden High School are quarantining after close contact to a person with COVID-19. Currently,...

School making changes to parking lot availability

July 4, 2024

July 4, 2024

St. Joseph Grade School is making some changes to the availability of its parking lot. The district recently placed letters...

Senior spotlight…. Payton Clements

January 17, 2020

January 17, 2020

What are your post high school plans? After high school, I plan on attending Bradley university and majoring in environmental...

10 things you don’t know about me… Jeff Damler

May 27, 2022

May 27, 2022

Jeff Damler, is the Senior Vice President, Loan Officer, Branch Manager at Longview Bank in St. Joseph. Here are 10...

10 things you don’t know about me… John Mills

July 10, 2019

July 10, 2019

Every week we ask an area resident to give us 10 interesting facts about themselves. This week it is John...

Former rivals give back with youth girls’ basketball program

January 22, 2019

January 22, 2019

Growing up, Andrea Flenniken was a Spartan. Flenniken graduated from St. Joseph-Ogden High School in 1996 and played girls’ basketball...

‘I love feeling a part of the community’

October 21, 2022

October 21, 2022

Almost a year ago exactly, The University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics announced the naming and grand opening of...

Masks not optional in St. Joseph schools; PVO allows masks to be optional

February 7, 2022

February 7, 2022

St. Joseph-Ogden High School Superintendent Brian Brooks is asking the community for patience.In an email sent to parents Sunday, the...

Comments
Leave a Reply