A Pair of Shoes

A Pair of Shoes

I am wearing a pair of shoes.

They are ugly shoes.

Uncomfortable shoes.

I hate my shoes.

Each day I wear them, and each day I wish I had another pair.

Some days my shoes hurt so bad that I do not think I can take another step.

Yet, I continue to wear them.

I get funny looks wearing these shoes. They are looks of sympathy.

I can tell in others eyes that they are glad they are my shoes, and not theirs.

They never talk about my shoes.

To learn how awful my shoes are might make them uncomfortable.

To truly understand these shoes you must walk in them.

But, once you put them on, you can never take them off.

I now realize that I am not the only one who wears these shoes.

There are many pairs in this world.

Some people are like me and ache daily as they try and walk in them.

Some have learned how to walk in them so they don’t hurt quite as much.

Some have worn the shoes so long that days will go by before they think

about how much they hurt.

No person deserves to wear these shoes.

Yet, because of these shoes I am stronger.

These shoes have given me the strength to face anything.

They have made me who I am.

I will forever walk in the shoes of a parent who has lost a child.

- Author Unknown

(the original poem was written from the perspective of a mother, but I changed it just a little to reflect the perspective of either a brokenhearted mom or dad. Steven and I feel the loss of Brynna every day)