If You Could See

Recent events have caused me to focus, more than usual, on my own problems. At times, it seems my whole world revolves about my responsibilities and my current set of challenges...just the latest in a lifetime of challenges...leaving me focused on only myself and my personal demons. Sometimes, I want to scream at others and make them see the load on my shoulders.

Then, I see another with an even bigger burden to bear, and I feel ashamed for my self-centered, self-pity party. As with so many from my generation, I was taught that real men don't complain about their problems, they grin and bear it, suck it up and suffer in silence -- until they beat the odds or buckle under the load. The tragic truth is that those who can never share their burdens and fears, only accumulate more until they eventually must buckle under the load.

If I had someone to share the road and the load, I imagine the following might be our conversation, or maybe it's a prayer...

Mick

If You Could See

If you could just see the load I carry,
The terrible burden, high on my back -
So hard to balance, so very scary,
You might be willing to cut me some slack.
I know you carry your own heavy load;
It's probably even bigger than mine.
Yet, it's also true we must share this road -
An obstacle course, long and serpentine.
We must travel together, you and I -
For awhile, and possibly much longer;
And though we may never see eye-to-eye,
By sharing, we make each other stronger.
We can agree to give what we can give -
By doing that, we can live and help live.

Mick McKellar
March 2009