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 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 women are like me and ache daily as they try to 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 woman deserves to wear these shoes.
Yet, because of these shoes I am a stronger woman.
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 woman who has lost a child.

Me and my baby Eric - 6 weeks old

THE CORD

We are connected,
my child and I,
by an invisible cord
not seen by the eye.
 

It's not like the cord
that connects us 'til birth.
This cord can't be seen
by any on Earth.
 

This cord does it's work
right from the start.
It binds us together,
attached to my heart.
 

I know that it's there
though no one can see
the invisible cord
from my child to me.
 

The strength of this cord
is hard to describe.
It can't be destroyed.
It can't be denied.
 

It's stronger than any cord
man could create.
It withstands any test,
can hold any weight.
 

And, though you are gone,
though you're not here with me,
the cord is still there,
but no one can see.
 

It pulls at my heart.
I am bruised...I am sore,
but this cord is my lifeline
as never before.
 

I am thankful that God
connects us this way -
A mother and child -
Death can't take it away!