Why is it that whenever we feel the most burdened we keep it hidden from others? Why do we block everything out so that no one can see how we really are feeling? Why can’t we just reach out to a friend or family member and say, life’s hard. As a child we grow up wishing to be older, but once we get older we realize that life is hard. We all have different challenges. Just today I saw a lady standing on a street corner in her “best” clothes with a sign asking for money for the holidays. She didn’t look like a drug dealer or someone that should be standing on a street corner, she looked like possibly a mother just trying to makes ends meet. I can’t imagine getting to that point in life. I looked in her eyes and thought, I know how you feel, if I only had the money . . . I felt a deep connection to her because we to are going through something similar. We aren’t standing on a street corner, but Kevin’s business doesn’t bring in much money. Some months we don’t get a paycheck, others only enough for the rent. We are living on our savings. Life’s hard.
Somedays I don’t think much about it. Others I can’t think of anything else. I randomly shed a tear as I’m doing dishes or cleaning up toys. I try not to let others see my hurt. On a few rare occasions one of my boys has seen the tear and asked, “Mom, why are you crying?” I simple wipe it away and respond that I’m just fine. But the truth is life’s hard. Around the holidays it’s harder. My boys talk about Santa coming every morning they wake up. They are so excited. We have a few gifts for the boys. But every time I think about how hard life is, I think that it’s harder for someone else out there. Someone without the money to pay for heat, or gifts for their children, or someone standing on a street corner. Life’s hard. I don’t think myself better than those who are experience this. My heart goes out to them and I shed a tear in their behalf because I feel a little of what they are going through. Challenges don’t only make us become stronger spiritually, but they allow us to feel what others might be going through. It allows us to feel a sliver of what the Savior feels for each of us. He knows what we are feeling because he’s been there. He knows life’s hard.
After having this money trial for more than 6 months now. I finally, hesitantly feel that I need to share to those of you going through similar trials. Let me encourage you to share with loved ones your heartaches. They won’t think any less of you. They will love you more and they may even share when they went through something similar. You can shed some tears together and grow a deeper love and appreciation for them. I heard a story a few months back from a friend that she didn’t have enough money to buy her baby groceries, but she was too proud to tell anyone she couldn’t feed her baby. Her loving sister showed up on her door step that very day with a bag of groceries. This story continually brings a tear to my eye because I understand. I am feeling her same pains. Life is hard. I hope that this trial of mine will help me be more aware of those in need. So that when I have a little spare change I can give the mother on the street corner a little piece of mind and show her that I know what it’s like. I have felt similar pains. Let us all love each other a little more and show each other that we are experiencing similar hardships. So that when someone, like me, mentions how hard life really is I don’t feel like I’m the only one out there thinking that life is hard.
