A young Lakota asked his grandfather why life had to be so difficult sometimes?
This is the old man's reply;
Grandfather says this "in life there is sadness as well as joy,
losing as well as winning,
falling as well as standing,
Hunger as well as plenty,
bad as well as good.
Grandfather does not say this despair but to teach you reality.
To teach you, life is a journey sometime walked in light and sometimes in shadow.
Grandfather says this you did not ask to be born, but you are here you,
have weaknesses as well as strength,
you have both because in life there is there are two of everything.
Within you there is the willing to win as well as willingness to lose,
The heart to feel compassion as well as the smallness to be arrogant,
With in you is the way to face life as well as the fear to turn away from it.
Grandfather says this, life can give you strength,
it can come from facing the storms of life,
from knowing loss, feeling sadness and heart ache,
from falling into the depths of grief,
You must stand up to the storm,
you must face the wind, and the cold, and the darkness,
When the storm blows hard,
you must stand firm,
for it is not trying to knock you down,
it is really trying to teach you to be strong.
Grandfather says this, being strong is taking one more step toward the top of the hill no matter how wary you may be;
It means letting the tears flow throw the grief;
it means to keep looking for the answer thou the darkness of despair is all around you;
it means to cling to hope for one more heart beat, or one more sunrise;
each step no matter how difficult is one more step closer to the top of the hill;
To keep hope alive one heart beat at a time leads to the light of the next sunrise and the promise of a new day.
Grandfather says this, the weakest step toward the top of the hill,
toward the sunrise, toward hope, is stronger than the most fearsome storm.
Grandfather says this, Keep going.