A Crippled Woman - Part I A Crippled WOMAN

A Crippled WOMAN

I want to tell you a story of a woman - a mother of many young ones; she knew she yelled too loud, too long at those too little; too young to protect themselves.

She said to her loving husband, "It is too much". She said it was too hard (4 kids, 6 and younger and homeschooling). She said that she feared she'd break; or break them and she did. She broke in small ways - shattering confidence, joy shifting to sadness - loneliness within darkness, blank inability.

And though he promised they were resiliant- He lied. But he didfn't really lie; he did believe they were resiliant - because he had survived - he was fine. He said, ''You are so good, so strong; I KNOW you can do it - I believe in you, with God's strength, just trust in Him''.

But He was gone most of the time when the stress was too much and the screams were too loud. They broke in different ways, at different times. And every time a whispered crack, a creak that threatened a crash- she'd weep like the weeping willows on Euclid Avenue - Weeping, weeping, weeping.

She ran from all the pain - And when they broke, she broke.