Carson has eczema.  No, I take that back.  Carson has really, really bad eczema.  He's had it since he was just a few months old.  If it's in the asthma/allergy textbook, he's likely got it.  Bless him.       

Over the years, we've seen many wonderful doctors.....doctor after doctor after doctor.  We've gotten a lot of different advice.  But, we've never really found the silver bullet.  He has enough tubes and tubs of prescribed ointments and creams in his bathroom to sink a cruise ship.  On top of that, anything we've ever read or heard testimonials about, we've gone out and bought those, too.  For some reason, over the last year, it's really gotten miserable for him and the last month has been the worst ever.  

He's a teenager now and, as you would expect, it bothers him more than when he was younger.  I find myself talking to him a good bit about perspective and struggles....how we all have them.  Every one of us.  Some are visible like his and some you'd never know about, but everybody has something that they have to deal with each day.  Something that taxes them, stretches them, wears on them.  Something that they wish, with all their heart, they could change.  Weight issues, depression, infertility, arthritis, divorce, diabetes, anxiety, impaired vision, addiction.....and yes, eczema.    

I was reminded about this today while I was shopping for groceries.  I was on the baking aisle when I noticed a woman, about my age, pass by with her cart.  She walked with a very pronounced limp and one of her arms was drawn up to her body.  She wore very thick glasses and I felt sorry for her as every step seemed to be such a struggle.   

She went looking at the spices and I was close enough to hear her ask another woman passing by if she could hand her something off the shelf.  Her hands weren't cooperating and she just couldn't grab what she was trying to get.  The other woman was more than happy to help and when I turned around, I noticed she, herself, was missing an arm. 

The lady thanked her for the help in a slow, stammering speech and asked if she could share what had happened to her.  She began to tell a story about an accident.  Her words didn't come easily and she stuttered trying to get them out.  I couldn't hear everything she was saying, but I did hear that she'd had to learn to do everything all over again.  They talked for a while and then the two ladies hugged.  I could tell that they felt a kind of bond in their brokenness.  God knew who needed to pass by the spices at that very moment. 

We're all broken in one way or another.  Some of us can't hide our infirmities.....as much as we'd like to.  Some of our struggles are unseen.  It's hard to tell which is harder.  Either way, we've all got something.  Something that rears its head at us every single day.  Something that causes us to grow tired and discouraged some days.  Something that we have to get up and wrestle all by ourselves.

I don't know where I was going with this except that it was just on my heart tonight as I've wrapped warm compresses around Carson's irritated skin.   

I thought how we could all stand to be reminded that everyone we meet is going through their own, little battle.  We're all in hand to hand combat with something.   

Every one of us could use a little slack......and a kind word to make it all just a little easier.


Hope y'all have a great weekend!