If only I could bear the weight of your pain upon my shoulders,
If only it could be me wearing those crutches whose metallic sound on the floor has become so hard to bear.
If only I could rip the heartache out of your chest and bring it into mine,
Knowing your heart would henceforth be beating peacefully and joyfully.
If only I could wipe away the infinite sorrow from your beautiful blue eyes,
Whose bewildered look breaks my own heart,
I would, for I would give anything to make you happy again.
There is much hardship in life,
And somehow it seems you’ve had your share.
It all began when you were a child,
When you looked at the word and shied away from it.
When all the love you had around you was not enough to give you confidence or self-esteem.
And then you found sport, your passion,
This very same passion that has demanded so much of you,
Given you, as passions often do, so many highs and lows,
And has ultimately left you as you are now,
Smashed, hurt, fragile and without hope.
If only I could rewind the tape of the last two months and give you back your life as it was
If only I were a fairy, and had a magic wand,
I would use it to make all your dreams come true,
And send away all your nightmares.
But I’m not a fairy, nor do I have any magic powers
I am only a woman.
But I am also a mother.
And there are things a mother can do.
I can give you words,
Words of consolation but above all of support, of strength, of hope,
Of never surrendering.
Words that speak of the bright future ahead of you;
How life, in its mysterious ways,
Sometimes forces change on us the hard way,
Because we need it but lack the courage to make it.
How tough moments like this one make us grow,
And so much stronger;
(You know it – you’ve been there)
How they ultimately help us evolve, become better, more centred persons.
Even if, while we are learning the lesson, it hurts like Hell.
As it is hurting now.
And I can give you love.
The unconditional, infinite, some say exaggerated, love I feel for you.
This love that inspires me in all moments and gives me the strength to carry on;
I know you feel it,
Deep down in your battered heart,
And you know I’m there for you and always will be.
I will sustain you in your grief,
Ask you to let it in, and let it pass through you, for it will eventually go away.
And then,
When you leave that sadness behind you,
When those stooped shoulders become straight again,
When your clothes no longer look as if they were bought one size larger,
And above all when your blue eyes no longer shine with tears,
But with the reflection of a Springtime morning sky,
I will know the fight is over, and your heart, like your body, is on the mend.
Yes, my darling – I promise you that after a long winter, Spring always comes.
Soon, when days are longer and darkness recoils,
When the warm breeze caresses your face
And you hear birds singing in the trees,
There will be light again in your life,
And you will be yourself again.
