Strength and Courage

(During the two years that we cared for our daughter until after she passed away, we heard of friends who tell us how strong we were. Of course we were encouraged by this compliment and it kept us going. But many times I thought about what "strength" really meant. An unknown author compared "strength" witth another character trait, courage, and one can better understand. This is insightful)

It takes strength to be firm.
It takes courage to be gentle.

It takes strength to stand guard.
It takes courage to let down your guard.

It takes strength to conquer
It takes courage to surrender.

It takes strength to be certain.
It takes courage to have doubt.

It takes strength to fit in.
It takes courage to stand out.

It takes strength to feel a friend's pain.
It takes courage to feel your own pain.

It takes strength to hide feelings.
It takes courage to show them.

It takes strength to endure abuse.
It takes courage to stop it.

It takes strength to stand alone.
It takes courage to lean on another.

It takes strength to love.

It takes courage to be loved.

It takes strength to survive.
It takes courage to live.

-- Author Unknown