Stronger Than You Know

 I read this poem again over the weekend. While it's  hundreds of years old, the meaning of those lines stands as strong today as when it was written.

The Oak Tree by Johnny Ray Ryder Jr.
A mighty wind blew night and day.
It stole the Oak Tree’s leaves away.
Then snapped its boughs
and pulled its bark
until the Oak was tired and stark.
But still the Oak Tree held its ground
while other trees fell all around.
The weary wind gave up and spoke,
How can you still be standing Oak?”
The Oak Tree said, I know that you
can break each branch of mine in two,
carry every leaf away,
shake my limbs and make me sway.
But I have roots stretched in the earth,
growing stronger since my birth.
You’ll never touch them, for you see
they are the deepest part of me.
Until today, I wasn’t sure
of just how much I could endure.
But now I’ve found with thanks to you,
I’m stronger than I ever knew.

Let's all learn from that oak tree. Reach deep and find that inner strength that roots you to who you are and what you believe. Offer shade to the weary, refuge from the storms. Display your beauty and inner peace, battered scars and all. 

Most of all, never forget certain moments in your life or in history. Be the reminder that we need to prevent similar things from happening again. Just as the oak tree wants to do all that it can to protect the world from the evil it has seen throughout it's lifespan, we too must do our part to educate and spread love, kindness, acceptance, and peace while on this journey we call life.