Along the long road I learned

That not every soul is a friend;

That some are there to love us,

And some are just pretends.

I learned that money comes and goes,

And it’s not really such an important part;

That the things that really matter

We have to buy with our hearts.

I learned that happiness means something different

In every set of eyes,

And that only we can rebuild it

After it all falls apart.

I learned to believe

Just so I can hold on to my mind,

And that even if God‘s not real,

At least He seems to be kind.

I learned that a friend can wound you

In ways no one else can,

And that hearts tend to put themselves together,

Just so they can keep tearing themselves apart.

I learned that love, in general,

Is not to be taken lightly at all;

That it will engulf us, consume us,

And then slowly break our heart.

I learned that at the end of every tunnel,

There will always be a bright light,

And it’s up to us to choose;

Stay in the dark, or embrace a new start.

I learned that smiling and crying,

Always will go hand in hand,

For we can’t have one without the other,

And that’s very hard to understand.

I learned that peace will never find us,

Until we’ve learned to be genuinely kind,

And that no matter who’s lying on the floor,

We should go ahead and reach out a hand.

I learned that I belong to me,

And ultimately to God,

And I realized I’m my own hero,

Right after He opened my eyes.

And now I know more than yesterday,

Yet less than a month from now,

And I don’t know what this life will teach me,

But when it comes to learning, I’m always willing to try.

-Freddy Cruz