Faces With No Names

One of the things I remember from being in the hospital after giving birth was how the nurses came by to ask how much pain I was in. They pointed to a sheet posted on the wall -- the same little graphics I suppose most hospitals use -- with the funny faces accompanying a pain scale of one to 10. The faces started off looking pretty normal and then progressed into what looked like complete agony by number 10.

You could line up the best artists in the world, but none of them could draw a face for this.

And there ain't a number high enough.

And, yet, I keep reminding myself that there is greater pain in this world.

I know there is.

There are people whose children have died. Many, many people.

There are people who have lost their entire families.

People who have survived war, ungodly natural disasters, unspeakable violence.

There are people whose children have been kidnapped and who have only the worst to imagine and fear.

It could be worse, it could be worse, it could be worse.

Wasn't I saying the same thing some time last year?

Funny thing about hitting rock bottom: when you realize that what you THOUGHT was rock bottom was merely midway down the ladder, you wonder if you will ever have the strength to get back up.

Yep, I am a rollercoaster, people. And I am ready for the carousel.

Where is it?