GRANDFATHER'S WISDOM
Young Lakota asked his Grandfather why life had to be so
difficult sometimes.
This was the old man's reply......
"In life there is, sadness as well as joy,
losing as well as winning, falling as well as standing,
hunger as well as plenty, bad as well as good.
I do not say this to make you despair, but to teach you
reality.
To teach you that life is a journey, sometimes walked in light,
sometimes in shadow.
You did not ask to be born, but you are here.
You have weakness as well as strengths. You have both,
because in life there is two of everything.
Within you is the will to win, as well as the willingness to lose.
The heart to feel compassion, as well as the smallness to be arrogant.
Within you is the way to face life, as well as the fear to turn away from it.
Life can give you strength.
It can come from facing the storms of life, from knowing loss,
feeling sadness and heart ache, from falling into the depths of grief.
You must stand up in the storm. You must face the wind,
the cold, and the darkness.
When the storm blows hard, you must stand firmly.
For it is not trying to knock you down,
it is really trying to teach you how to be strong.
Being strong means taking one more step toward the top of the hill,
no matter how weary you may be. It means letting the tears flow through grief.
It means to keep looking for the answer, while the darkness of despair is all
around you.
It means to cling to hope, for one more heart beat,
for one more sunrise. Each step no matter how difficult,
is one more step closer, to the top of the hill.