Giving/Receiving

Oh, the lessons we must learn

Because we have to grow.

Oh, the message given when young

That you know must be changed.

“You are to give of yourself,

So reach out and help those less fortunate.”

“Be benevolent and give a helping hand.”

“Be strong and reach down to lift others up.”

“Don’t let others see you cry

Because that means you’re weak.”

And so your life follows those paths,

Until one day a cardboard box stands in your way,

And you fall into awareness.

The depths of the hole

Feel like an upside-down world.

You must reach out and ask for help.

You must allow others to help you.

Simple chores are too much for you,

And you must sit and watch while others work for you.

You cry because you feel so vulnerable,

And you don’t know how to accept.

But you learn the lessons

Of allowing others the giving gift,

And you sit and see the rainbows

That were always there to see.

So you now can give the gift of giving

To others as you sit quietly to receive.

What a gift!

        © Hilda Ward, 2017

Nurse tending patient in Kettering hypertherm cabinet
WPA photo taken in New Orleans, U.S. Marine Hospital
from Wikimedia Commons