Letting go...

To "let go" does not mean to stop caring.
It means I can't do it for someone else.

To "let go" is not to cut myself off.
It's the realization that I can't control another.

To "let go" is to admit powerlessness,
which means the outcome is not in my hands, but in God's.

To "let go" is not to try to change or blame another.
It's to make the most possible out of myself.

To "let go" is not to care for, but care about.

To "let go" is not to fix, but to be supportive.

To "let go" is not to judge,
but to allow another to be a human being, as we all sin.

To "let go" is not to be in the middle, arranging all the outcomes,
but to allow others to affect their own destinies.

To "let go" is not to deny, but to accept.

To "let go" is not to nag, scold, fuss, or argue;
but instead to search out my own shortcomings and correct them.

To "let go" is not to adjust everything to my desires,
but to take each day as it comes and cherish myself in it.

To "let go" is not to regret the past,
but to live for today and grow for the future.

To "let go" is to fear less and to love more.

Portrait of a Friend

I can't give solutions to all of life's problems, doubts, or fears. But I can listen to you, and together we can seek answers.

I can't change your past with all its heartache and pain, nor the future with its untold stories. But I can be there now when you need me to care.

I can't keep your feet from stumbling. I can only offer my hand that you may grasp it and not fall.

Your joys, triumphs, successes, and happiness are not mine. Yet I can share in your laughter and joy.

Your decisions in life are not mine to make, nor to judge. I can only support you, encourage you, and help you when you ask.

I can't give you boundaries which I have determined for you. But I can give you the room to change, room to grow, room to be yourself.

I can't keep your heart from breaking and hurting. But I can cry with you and help you pick up the pieces and put them back in place.

I can't tell you who you are. I can only love you and be your friend.