a blessing for you who feel like the bad thing

Here’s a blessing for you who feel like the bad thing.

You are everyone’s reminder of frailty, of life’s cruelty. Your chronic pain or depression or regular scans remind those around you that life isn’t as fair or easy as they had hoped.

Blessed are you who try to hide your humanity. You who temper your complaints, who avoid mentioning your next appointment, who pretend you are doing better than you are to make reality a little more palatable for others. You, who try and try and try to make yourself easier to love, easier to be around, easier to manage.

But, dear one, blessed are you because you are not the bad thing. Your illness or grief or despair or addiction is not too much. It’s just your humanity showing.

And blessed are we who get to see it up close. Who, despite our own fears and reminders of our finitude, get to hold your hand as you face each day with courage as you face things you didn’t choose. It is this kind of courageous living– the kind that shows all the shabby edges– that we are so thankful to see up close.

You, blessed one, remind us that life is so beautiful and life is so hard. And we feel lucky for the privilege to do life with you — no matter how difficult, no matter how messy.

You are not the bad thing. You are a gift. And we love every bit of you.