I have a beautiful friend. She is the single-parent of two equally beautiful daughters. Her husband left when the second was born with special needs.
Coincidentally, my neighbor is a single father of two. His wife left him, choosing a life of drugs over a life of responsibility.
My guess is you will never hear the names of these two amazing individuals. You’ll probably never read their blogs or follow them on Facebook. And their faces will probably never be on the cover of a magazine. But I can tell you, without a doubt in my mind, they both work harder at life than I do.
This past Saturday, I got up early to do some work on a new book. In the early morning hours while the sun was still rising, I drove to a quiet location to write. Enroute, I passed a young man, significantly overweight, out jogging. He was sweating profusely. And I was inspired because of it.
His body-shape isn’t the type you’ll see on posters in the local fitness center. But here was a guy, up early on a Saturday morning, working hard to change his life while most of my neighbors were still sleeping.
One more story.
Last week, a colleague of mine led a funeral for a friend who had recently died of a drug overdose. The deceased was a young man who had been born addicted to heroin.
Through no fault of his own but because of the actions of his mother, he waged war against addiction every day of his life. Some days, he won. Some days, he lost. In the end, it took his life.
As my colleague shared his story, he summed it up this way:
Our lost friend will, unfortunately, be remembered by most as a drug addict. But that’s not the man I knew. Quite the opposite in fact. I will remember forever my friend as the man who fought endlessly against an addiction unfairly passed onto him. I will remember him as a man who worked hard to make the most of a bad situation.
Our world loves to glorify beautiful people. We look up to and praise those who have seemingly accomplished much in visible measures. We lift up as role models and examples those who excel in sports, write books, own the stage, or excel in business and politics. And I don’t want to look down on those accomplishments and those examples, there is much we can learn from them.
But let’s face it: Life can also be messy. And not everybody gets to live in the limelight as one of the beautiful people. Some people find themselves struggling to just tread water through very difficult circumstances.
Sometimes, the trials we face in life are a result of our own doing. Sometimes they are a result of a wrong committed against us. But there is little doubt we are surrounded by people facing unfair circumstances in every direction we look.
And many of them, those fighting to make the most of it, deserve our respect and our praise. But they are often overlooked by a society that often praises all the wrong measures of success.
So allow me today… in my own small little way… to recognize those of you who are working hard to make the best of a bad situation. We see you and we applaud you.
Here’s to those of you raising kids without the support of a responsible partner.
Here’s to those of you striving to overcome the cycle of poverty or addiction in your family.
Here’s to those of you working two jobs to provide your children with more opportunity than you had growing up.
Here’s to those of you working to change the unhealthy habits that have defined your life for too long.
Here’s to those of you who have been treated unfairly in the workplace and are working hard to start again.
Here’s to those of you battling a disease that seeks to destroy your body.
Here’s to those of you caring faithfully for a loved one who is nearing the end.
Here’s to those of you who have been knocked down by life, but are staggering to get back up.
We see you and we applaud you.
Not only that, we also thank you. Thank you for inspiring us. And thank you for working hard to make life better—not just for yourself, but for those closest to you. We need more people like you in our world.
Book worm says
I love this article. It makes us think of what is more important in life. And how to appreciate all that we have. Thank you Joshua.
Willow says
Thank you for writing this post which deeply touched me with tears. This may be the best post you have ever written.
Jennifer says
I concur!
J Hastie says
I should add that I watched my son struggle. Everyday was a victory. I watched his friends, other relatives, and even doctors reject what they really did not understand. I remember comments from others saying he needs to pick himself up by the bootstraps, but one by one, they could not handle even watching his struggle much less experience it.
Do not ever doubt that loving someone in the fight of their life is the right thing to do. You are not expected to fix it, just be there and show you care.
Teri says
This is one of the best things I’ve read, anywhere, in a long, long, time.
Cindy says
Beautiful. Just beautiful.
Denise says
Thank you.
J Hastie says
Your words exhibit the understanding that few others take the time to honor those that need it the most.
Yes, it is their roots that keep them grounded in reality and able to reach out to others in similar circumstances to inspire hope thus making an even bigger difference in the world.
Thank you for giving them the credit due their determination and for so many other insights.
Linda Landine says
Thank-you for this post. I had the privilege of nursing in a Paediatric Intensive Care Unit. There I met many courageous parents who I count as heroes that I have known. The bravery and resilience of the children and their families left me in awe most days.
Judy says
“Be kinder than necessary, because everyone you meet is fighting a hidden battle.”
Author Unknown
Tammy says
Thanks for the quote. I wrote that one down.
Eve says
I can’t tell you how much this article touched me. I know or have known a lot of people you described. I’m fighting two rare disorders myself but you couldn’t tell by looking at me. We should always be kind because you never know what burden someone is bearing. They are very brave most of our fellow citizens. Even if they don’t get the recognition or awards. Great article.