The Shoes I Wear

I am wearing a pair of shoes.
They are ugly shoes.
Uncomfortable shoes.
I hate my shoes.
Each day I wear them, and each day I wish I had another pair.
Some days my shoes hurt so bad that I dont think I can take another step
Yet I continue to wear them.
I get funny looks wearing these shoes.
There are looks of sympathy.
I can tell in other's eyes that they are glad they are my shoes and not theirs.
They never talk about my shoes.
To learn how awful my shoes are might make them uncomfortable.
To truly understand these shoes you must walk in them.
But, once you put them on you can never take them off.
I now realise that I am not the only person that wears these shoes.
There are many pairs in the world.
Some women are like me and ache daily as they try to walk in them so they don't hurt quite as much.
Some have worn these shoes so long that days go by before they think of how much they hurt.
No woman deserves to wear these shoes.
Yet, because of these shoes I am a stronger woman.
These shoes have given me strength to face anything.
They have made me who I am.
I will forever walk in the shoes of a woman who has lost a child.

Author unknown