No One Ever Told Me

By Loureva Slade

No one ever told me that loving him didn’t necessarily mean that he would love me back

Or that it would take true love a while to erase the heartache caused by those before

No one ever told me that I wouldn’t be able to protect them from all of life’s bumps and bruises

Or that they could seem so much like me that it would be hard to let them grow into themselves

No one ever told me that I could be angry enough to say things I would later live to regret

Or that for whatever reason, at times my best intentions would be seen as so much less

No one ever told me that our religious beliefs could put a strain on our friendship

Or that I would think of you all these years later and wonder if you ever came to know the One I love so much

No one ever told me that my being kind didn’t necessarily mean that I would be treated with respect

Or that walking away from “good things” would sometimes be necessary to lead me to “great things”

No one ever told me that I would have to work so hard to achieve my goals

Or that I would often struggle not to give up along the way

No one ever told me that others might not always be able to see my vision

Or that I might have to believe in myself enough to keep pressing on anyhow

No one ever told me that God would sometimes say no to the things I asked (and often begged) for

Or that I would have to learn to fully trust Him for my sustenance and strength

No one ever told me that experiencing death would make me look at life completely differently

Or that years later I would still think about them every single hour of every single day

No one ever told me that my many quirks are what make me special

Or that I would sometimes feel different than others because God set me apart

No one ever told me that happiness is an inside job

Or that as long as I looked for it outside of my Creator I would be waiting on invisible buses

And it made me so mad to think about all the things that no one ever told me

Until I realized that quite possibly, quite a few had told me in various ways on multiple occasions

But

I just didn’t listen

Because I didn’t like what they had to say

Perhaps I was just stubborn

Or one of those people who needed to live it to learn it

Either way I’m happy that now I know.

I understand. I have grown.

And I’m thankful for who I have become

because of all the things

I thought 

no one ever told me.