If you must go, then go for a while
Remember that first step is a hard traveled mile.

To learn what lessons life has in store,
You must be willing to open each door.

Don't be afraid to experience something new
For each experience will be a benefit to you.

Never live your life in the past
Enjoy every day as if it were your last

Mistakes you will make along the way
Learn from them, and you'll be okay

Set your goals high and strive for them
As long as you try, you'll never be condemned

Be kind and respect the people you meet
For they may be the ones to make life complete

Be sincere in everything you do
And treat others as you wish they would you

Whatever you do, make sure you're content
For the last thing you want is something to resent

So if you must go, then go for a while
And when you return, return with a smile.

Every scar has a story.
What will mine tell?
What will come of this
when I’m better, when I’m well?

I want my scar to tell
of how I’ve overcome,
of how I made it through,
of where I have come from.

I want my scar to whisper
about the pain I faced,
about this very hard time,
about the marathon I raced.

But mostly I want my scar
to speak of something greater
I want it to shout
about my living Creator.

Let my scar be evidence
that there is a loving Lord
who fought my scary battles
and on whose wings I soared.

Let my scar proclaim
that all things work for good,
that by myself I couldn’t
but with my God I could.

Let them take a look.
Let them peek and see.
My scar shows God is great.
It points to Him, not me.

We live in a generation
Where the lack of verbal conversation
has made all of us blind.
We all hide behind
our shiny, protective screens
where what words truly mean
is blanketed by lighthearted connotations
followed by a lack of punctuation.

But those lighthearted phrases
Cause others to go through phases
Where the light is stolen from their hearts.
They see what others call jokes
as simply a hoax
to disguise with lies
the darkness hiding behind their eyes.
It is intended to hurt,
to prove their worth
and to unearth all your insecurities.
While some go through phases
others get caught in mazes
that drag them ever deeper
into the fiery flame pit of self hate.

This self hate, they do not appreciate.
They let themselves bite the bait
instead of getting the story straight.

We live in a time where the muscles of our thumbs
are stronger than the muscles of our minds.
Enough so that our eyes are blind
to the downfalls and issues of mankind.
“If I can’t see it, it isn’t there.”
Oh, but our satellites, those things up there?
And the tectonic plates below us where
some of the greatest destruction brews without a care.
...Those exist, right?
You can’t see those.
So you shove those away,
like a box of old clothes
and make way for your own
delightful fantasy you call your own.

“Life is hard.”
You don’t know hard,
until you see the scars
someone gouged into themselves
to escape the iron bars
weighing them down to life.

You don’t know hard
until you see someone’s mutation
from normalization
to one of pure starvation of love,
and devastation,
because they were a victim of miscreation.

You say you’re not bullies,
but you destroy someone’s life with relative ease,
tearing down their fragile shield of protection
and steering them in the wrong direction.

Just a simple word, directed towards someone,
“Stupid.” “Fat.” “Ugly.”
Can remove a person’s life completely of glee,
make the light vanish from their soul,
and make their life seem like the Dust Bowl.
There is no “making amends.”
So the next time you open your lips
and put your hands on your hips,
before the words roll off the tip
of your tongue,
Look into their eyes
and be willing to compromise
because you don’t know how they feel inside.
Sometimes it is better to be silent than to be heard
because the tragedies caused by the spoken word
are better left unheard.

Everyone has dreams,
and everything is not what it seems,
and before you see the streams
of tears running down their face
as they scream in frustration
that their life is a state of desolation
you’re better off being silent,
than violent.

And just as everything is not what it seems,
I…
am not what I seem...

I don't think you will
Ever fully understand
How you've touched my life
And made me who I am.

I don't think you could ever know
Just how truly special you are,
That even on the darkest nights
You are my brightest star.

You've allowed me to experience
Something very hard to find,
Unconditional love that exists
In my body, soul, and mind.

I don't think you could ever feel
All the love I have to give,
And I'm sure you'll never realize
You've been my will to live.

You are an amazing person,
And without you I don't know where I'd be.
Having you in my life
Completes and fulfills every part of me.

People don't realize what they're saying, they shout "wrist check!" And laugh, not understanding the feeling of unsticking their clothes from their body in the morning. They say "Let me scan your barcodes!" Not understanding the feeling of your skin breaking and knowing you did it to yourself. They'll never understand the guilt that comes with it, the feeling of failure, and the pain being the only thing you can feel. They won't understand why you did it, and neither can you. They won't understand. They will continue to shout these things not knowing what's underneath your shirt. They won't understand that you will have these reminders of your past on wedding day, they will be there forever. People don't realize what they're doing when they grab your wrists and turn them over and shout "what's that?" People don't get it. They will never.