BRAVE IS WHAT HUMANS DO

 

  

------------------- .

Brave is what humans do. Brave for a diverse dozen or more reasons.... visible and invisible. The visible ones we can easily understand -- it's all around us.... broken relationships, single parents, widows, orphaned children, army wives with spouses away in battle on the other side of the globe, abandoned elderly, losing jobs, not making it on the list of graduates, a father holding on to two jobs to send his children to college, losing fortunes, illness, death, etc.
.
The invisible ones are just as many, perhaps even more. A choice many of us choose to hide from the world --- the burden or suffering of an illness, the quiet hurt or pain of betrayal, the hidden tears and grief over something lost, the deep fear or disappointment or frustration over things beyond control, the pain of a mother seeing her child's life go wrong, the heartache of a girl prevented from marrying the man she loves, desired answers to prayers taking too long in coming, and those other things we feel be kept away from prying eyes.
.
Oh both lists can be quite long. Where there are trials in a life, bravery can't be very far behind.
.
A friend once commented as she scrolled down her list of friends.... 'Buti pang mga ito ..Ganda ng mga ngiti noh? Mukhang walang mga problema.' ------ (Look at them smile.. like not a care in the world ever existed!)
.
I looked at the faces she was pointing at... I don't know them; oh maybe some will be my friends one day but I know those smiles. Smiles of people -- brave people -- living brave lives. How do I know that? Because everybody has a story... is a story... and where there is a story you'll find bravery in it. Brave is what humans do.
.
Blessings, everyone!! It's just there... open your eyes and hearts.

CROSSES VISIBLE AND INVISIBLE

The world in truth and fact is a miserable place. It holds so much of stuff we don’t really want and yet are because somebody up there thinks we need to be better functioning creatures of this planet called earth. I won’t argue that because I agree. It’s a long tedious process of becoming worthy of life in the here and now.. and of what’s coming when we move on to the next realm. Wherever that is. Meantime, what are we doing with the world and with ourselves as the process carries us along? I can tick off a long list of gloom and misery we have given the world and given ourselves, but you wouldn’t want to hear about something that which you already know or have on your list too.

Well, some people call it crosses, others consider it burdens, a good number call it challenges. If we are to look at it as something which lies heavy on our backs and carry wherever we go like it or not… for some reason partly our mistake and often beyond our control….then maybe we should call it a cross. A parallel view would be the cross on the shoulders of the Galilean who carried it to his death on Golgotha. But am not going there, we’re not talking about religion here. But I will write about crosses.

Like we all do know life is definitely not a bed of roses. Whoever says it is must be looking the other way or is related to Annie of the Broadway play but which, incidentally, is a play I adore. Good songs in there. But factually the Annie’s of the world are far and few. And some have moved on to be saints.

Anyway personal crosses are so much more deep profound and difficult. Maybe it’s because you have no help in dealing with it. Unlike if you were the head of a nation and you got dozens of people around you who you could send out to the field to kill the enemy. But that doesn’t always solve the problem. We know that because history tells us so. People’s crosses come in different sizes, shapes, weight, intensity, and diversity… visible and invisible. We see people struggling with their jobs, families, health, relationships, worship, leadership, communications, inventions, and we understand truly sympathizing and feeling compassion or connection with them. After all we all stand connected and are visibly the same in such things and perhaps even more.

But yes there's more. Can we.....

-- see truly what goes on inside a person suffering his cross
-- see the pain grief or sorrow buried hidden inside
-- understand how it is to keep hope alive in the midst of hopelessness
-- grasp his feelings of inadequacy or insecurity that despite his enormous talent others are getting recognition for a much inferior job
-- feel the torment suffered in silence by a person bound to a wheelchair
-- truly understand broken hearts, broken dreams, and broken lives languishing within
-- and so much more.

The invisible crosses they carry on their frail and burdened shoulders are twice heavier because they carry it alone. No we don’t see that plastered all over their faces – advertised in big bold letters, no we don’t. We won’t see it, maybe because they are so good at putting up the brave face of courage hope and faith. Funny but they never seem to give up. You know sometimes the crosses that people bear are seldom in plain sight. Sometimes ...we can't even tell just by looking at them.

And you know what.. they mirror us. We have our crosses too both visible and invisible. We all do. But we never should give up too. Maybe..... "The sun will come out tomorrow. Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow --- there'll be sun...." (Annie)