What did I know
when I was so young,
so naive?
I believed in fairy tales
and princes and castles
and happy ever afters.
What did I know
that life could hurt so much?
That life is not perfect,
that joy brings pain,
that giving can cause
an emptiness so profound
it seems impossible to fill?
But I learned.
Life taught me through
disappointments, loneliness,
pain, and tears.
I learned about the
risks of love,
I learned about the
sacrifices of love.
I learned that love
needs the kiln of life
with its high temperatures
and flames that purify
disappointments, pain
and tears
until they are but old memories
that one can bear.
I learned that the love
which survives
the trials and imperfections of life
provides the strength and
courage needed
to laugh and
be happy again.
