No Apologies Nor Excuses

 

"Tears are shed for another person are not a sign

of weakness.  They are a sign of a pure heart."

Jose N. Harris

On a wintry and gloomy dark day, my Renaissance man and I ran into an elderly gentleman who had lived down the street for years.  He was sharing with us how his long time furry friend had slipped away peacefully in the night.  The man had awakened like any other morning, but his precious pet had not.

I was looking directly into his beautiful blue eyes as the tears brimmed and dripped down his aging face.  He went on to tell us this was the 11th anniversary of his wife's death and how much he still missed her.  More tears slipped from his eyes, but his words were spoken with distinction and he held his head high.  No apologies nor excuses for his emotional conversation were offered.

I admired this elder for allowing himself to be vulnerable, to express the sense of his heart breaking once again, and the lingering questions remaining in his soul.  In spite of his emotions, he stood strong honoring himself and not ashamed of escaping sorrow.  We felt privileged to be a witness to  the sharing of this elder.