When darkness lingers
Day after day
When there is no ray of hope to be seen
How do you go on
And for what reason
What helps you not give up?

Where does that last ounce of energy come from?
Why do you try one more time
When it seems that day after day
Nothing changes
Nothing at all

Worst of all what do you do
When you see a ray of hope
Just to wake up the next day
And be enveloped in darkness
And lose that hope

And how do you smile again
After the frowns
How do you get up
After each fall

How do you put one foot
In front of the other
When they feel like lead?

What do you answer
When someone asks you
How you are doing today?

How do you go on
When there is no joy in life
When anxiety reigns
And all the colour has gone?

How do you see yourself
Living the rest of your life
When pain persists
And so do trials

How do you believe
That things will change
And prayers will be heard
One day?

I don’’t know the answer
I just know
We keep going because we have to
Because there are people who love us
And need us to
Because we are stronger
Than we think
And even when everything seems so very bleak
We have no choice
But to persist

And when it seems
That prayers are not heard
It’s probably those very prayers
That give us courage and give us strength

Lida Berghuis
March 2nd, 2007

“Mommy, you will feel better”
Nicki said
I wanted to believe him
And day after day
I would look at the paper airplane
That he made
With this message of hope
And promised myself
I would keep it until the day
I could finally say
Yes, I feel better today
And that day did come!!