Fathers and mothers, and all of us are being tested these days as never before, to be a comfort and guide to our children and vulnerable ones, but sometimes, we are the ones who need comfort.   Whether we cry in frustration, fear, sorrow, or whether we are lucky enough to receive the gift of a wonderful tear-inducing belly laugh, It is ok for us to open our release valve and to cry;   It takes courage to admit our needs — and there is great healing strength in tears. 

A Father's Strength

I watched my mother cry at times,

And we hugged, and shared the pain,

But who can fathers turn to

When they're bent hard with life's strain?

 

To keep his tears from softening

The armour he maintained,

He bottled up his hurt and wrapped

His wounds in cellophane;

There they stayed, there they made

A load that grew in size,

Until he knew, just one more hurt

Would cause him to  capsize;

 

And now it came, another loss,

Another weight to bear;

A sigh at first,

The dam then burst,

No longer did he care;

No longer could he be a rock,

A  hero, strong and tough —

He felt the hammer hit the stone,

It broke to pebbles rough;

 

Unwrapped and laid bare by the flood,

His tears completely spent,

He gathered up his courage,

His armour, now all bent,

And began to build another wall,

To keep his courage safe —

A shelter for his weathered heart,

His washed and bandaged faith.

 

We tend to think that men can cope,

No emotional displays,

But, the weight of the world

Is too heavy a load

For any one person to carry alone,

And the wisest words you could ever say

Are in the tears that we share today.