From the time we were children,
We were given a role,
Told why we were special,
And what made us whole.
Given instruction
How to measure our worth...
Being soft, full of heart,
Making love, giving birth.
Then what do we do now?
How should we prepare
For the change in our bodies,
For the loss of our hair,
For the fear and self-loathing,
For the tears cried alone?
We prepare with the knowledge
That the battle's our own.
If there is a first step,
If there's one place to start,
It's to find our own strength
Somewhere deep in our hearts,
And muster our courage,
Help our spirit to lift
With the realization
That life is the gift;
And no matter what new shape
Our flesh and bone takes,
Our souls can't be severed,
Can't vanish, can't break.
So, believe that while bodies
Can be battered and scarred,
It's what lives in our hearts
That defines who we are.




©1997 Gail Von Schlichting


You are listening to The Greatest Love of All

I decided long ago,
Never to walk in anyone's shadow.
If I fail, if I succeed,
At least I've lived as I believed.
No matter what they take from me,
They can't take away my dignity.
Because the greatest love of all
Is happening to me
I found the greatest love of all
Inside of me
The greatest love of all
Is easy to achieve
Learning to love yourself
Is the greatest love of all



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