Our Burden To Bear

Ever want to carry someone else's burden? Sometimes it's hard to listen to, hear about or read about someone else's pain.

Parents, I know, feel this a lot. I would give anything to be able to carry the hurt my kids sometimes have to go through. From the time they're babies and they're sick or in pain, till the time they're grown and go through all kinds of emotional and physical pain. But pain is a form of the learning process. The weak either get stronger and learn from it...or they don't and they wallow in it. Sometimes to try and carry someone else's pain is actually depriving them of learning how to equip themselves for the many tomorrows yet to come.

My Mom-in-law recently found out her cancer has returned. The first time around, the treatments were horrific for her. I'd give anything if I could go through this for her.

My oldest (16), had his heart broken last summer. I'd given anything to have carried that helplessly lonely feeling for him, because I remember it all to well.

My best friends son has tourrettes, and has been asked to stay out of the public schools since 7th grade (4 years ago). They've not been able to go as a family to the store, restaurants or the movies because people stare at him and have honestly asked the parents if they can 'make' him stop. I wish I could carry both the parents and this great young mans pain for awhile, to give them all a break and a 'normal' life, even if it could be for just one day.

The day our family cat, Falco, died in the morning minutes before my boys had to leave for school to take their first day of semester finals. They both left in tears, but never asked to stay home, knowing they had important tests to take. I wish I could have carried that pain for them that day, on top of my own.

There is all kinds of pain, and every kind is valid to the one bearing it. The majority of the time, we're not able to take it from them, to carry their load or even make it lighter, regardless of how much we'd like to be able to. Only ONE was, and is, able to do that, and how heavy that burden must have been! I'm not a martyr, not really even much of a sympathetic kind of person, but there are times when I know, without a single doubt in my mind, that I would take someone else's pain for them, if at all possible. But, for whatever reason, we each have a journey that is ours alone to complete. The most we can do is try to lighten that load for others when given the opportunity. It may be a hug, it may be our presence accompanied by our silence, it may be a few words of encouragement, or it may be keeping our distance. Life isn't an exact science, it's a trial and error journey, adventure, experiment even. Whether we choose to go it alone or with someone beside us is our choice. Whether we choose to learn and grow, or wallow in pity and stagnate, it's our choice. Life goes on either way.

A great and inspiring video sent to me by Nikki.