Yesterday I attended the funeral of a young man who died when he should have been entering the best years of his life. I wept with the family and friends as they shared his stories, some humorous, others sad. It was very evident that John was loved and even in his short life he had a positive influence on many in attendance.
At the same time, there was an unsettling undercurrent of thought for me. At the funeral, you “saw” the tears. A brave few expressed the depths of the emotion they felt, not just the sadness but the anger and intense pain. Questions of, “Why did he have to leave us?”, “Why such a tragic end?”, “Why didn’t I do more to help?”, all remained unanswered.
The fact is there are many around us each day who are dealing with intense pain. They desperately need a kind word, a comforting thought, a warm hug, but there smile hides what’s inside. They move among us and walk beside us. For them today, I share…
Do You Hear Their Tears?
Do you hear the tears that trickle slowly down her cheek,
Do you hear the heart explosions of overwhelming grief?
Can you feel the intense hatred of those oppressed by war,
Can you feel the cold indifference of the one whose been beaten to the core?
Do you see the shivers of the forsaken, homeless, left out in the cold,
Do you see the pain of hungry millions, both the young and very old?
Have you touched the forgotten prisoner who’ll live forever with his past,
Have you touched the lonely widow, wishing each day were her last.
Do you hear the tears of the addict who cries desperately to be free,
Do you hear the darkness of the hopeless who search for light so they may see?
Have you known mental illness or do you understand it’s pain,
Have you known depths of depression, the fight to just stay sane?
So many helpless hurting people surround us everyday.
Do we really see their faces or do we hurry on our way?
Do we look to see a smile or pain within their eyes,
Do we care if their sun is shining or clouded with gray skies?
Would it really even matter if those next to us are crushed,
If we cared to see or feel their pain, would it slow us in our rush?
Would we stop for just a moment to give something of ourselves,
More than just our dollars, but what’s drawn deep from inner wells?
Inner wells of strength and courage, hope and comfort, even love
Yes, we all have something we can share, not forgetting God above.
Do you hear the tears of his heart, as He longs for us to be…
Salt and light, help and hope, love and peace, people living free?
Do you hear the tears?
Those who have felt, have heard the tears.
Written by Bobbi Spargo
Real - One Day At A Time 