My soul aches, and my heart weeps.  For the anniversary of a friend who was taken too soon. It aches for the friend that lost their best friend. For the friends that lost their nephew, and grandson. My soul weeps for one of my friends who had a life altering surgery. It aches for the friend that had yet another miscarriage. You wonder if her womb will ever know the feeling of sustaining life.  

    It hurts for the little boy who’s father is screaming at him on the train. It hurts for the father of the boy. You can’t imagine the pain he carries inside to lash out. It aches for the man with no arms peddling for a few coins.

     It hurts for the hunched over old man that you pass by everyday on your way home from work. How hard it must be to always look down.  It hurts for the elderly woman you met today with Parkinson's Disease. You saw the pain on her crumpled face.

       Most of all, it hurts for the unnecessary suffering caused by others. It hurts for the people of Beirut, Lebanon, and Paris. It aches to know that lovers, mothers, fathers, and children will never be reunited in this life. Your heart hurts for humanity.  Your problems don’t seem as significant and you feel a bit selfish for complaining.

      You feel helpless, and a bit of despair. “There is nothing I can do about it.” Not so, you can do your best to dry your tears and help lift those around you. You may not be Florence Nightingale, but you can do your best to alleviate suffering.  

     As a semi-wise man with good lips and a guitar said: “Pain throws your heart to the ground. Love turns the whole thing around. Fear is a friend who’s misunderstood. But I know the heart of life is good.”  Let’s go be and do good my friends.