Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away

I have known pain, I have known agony, I have known loss, what I have never been able to experience is another person's pain. Not physically at least. Recently, a few good people in my life have been affected by some truly heart breaking circumstances. I don't want to speak candidly about their situations but they are unfathomable. I can handle the pain when it's placed on me, but when others feel pain I feel completely and totally helpless. Nothing hurts me more than seeing someone so riddled with pain, and in tears because of a devastating event. Like having something they loved ripped away from them due to a miscommunication or a technicality, or fighting a battle that seems to be insurmountable. I know this all seems quite vague but I am writing to a few particular people who have been dealing with these challenges for a long time. They know who they are and I hope they realize that I might not always know what to say in person, but I can express myself better with words.

I don't remember who said this next piece of advice but it has stuck with me. It goes as follows... "We can control two things in our lives, our attitude and our effort." Now this particular person was referring to a sports analogy but I believe this also applies to life. If we go about our lives with a poor attitude and don't give our lives much effort then we will never truly be as great as we can be. We can abruptly change our outlook on life if we focused in on the positives of a negative situation. These people that I am referring to, have done just that. Their attitudes towards these obstacles have made their situations much easier. They have grabbed the proverbial bull by its horns and rode with the punches. I keep telling them that they will be stronger for this, even though they might not see it right away.

What really inspires me about these people is that I have never seen them at their worst. I have seen them when they were down and out, but never their worst. They put a smile on every day even if they are in excruciating pain. They never let anyone see them sweat. I've never been one to hold my emotions in, I wear mine right on my sleeve. With these two, I have really never seen them have a bad day. They have their moments of weakness, but who doesn't? They have handled everything that has been thrown at them with so much grace. I honestly don't know how they are able to keep it together considering what is going on with them, but I do know that they are now my heroes for it. They give me hope that one day, if I were to face a hardship, if I just follow their lead, I will make it through just fine.

To Rook and Hope,
Please continue to stay as strong as you always have been and please continue to shine your bright light in to this dark and gloomy world. You cannot be defeated or denied. I am proud to have you as my friends and even happier to have you as my daily inspiration. Keep fighting the good fight, stay positive, and never give up!