Pain

Pain comes in all shapes and forms
Some deal with it as soon as they're born
While others suffer illness or accident
That leads to pain that will remain
Sometimes all through their life
Affecting husband or wife
And family members as well
Sometimes their pain they suffer in silence
And try so hard to never tell.

My dad had shrapnel wounds from WWII
That caused him pain every day
Pain that never went away
He didn't talk about it with us
What was there to say?

We knew about it because in the night
We would see the glow of a cigarette
As he sat in the darkened living room
Dealing with his memories and pain
As we tiptoed out leaving him there
And lifting up a sincere prayer

When morning came he would be himself
And we would not have known
About his struggle with it the night before
It was his trial that he alone bore.

People loved his laughter and his smile
You knew him as friend once you met him
To love him only took a little while.

I know that he knew he could have died on that battlefield
On that day so very long ago
But God spared his life sending him home to his wife
And kids who loved him more than he could ever know.

Sniff What a great tribute to a wonderful father.