The tale of the mark of the warrior

Dear Life,

One day Kumaka asked about his scars.  He has quite a few.  At least 8, if not more.   And so, I told him the tale of the warrior.

Before you are born, you are a spirit.
You are taught many things.
Once you have learned all you are supposed to,
God meets with you, and he hand picks certain choice spirits.
He sees something special in these spirits.
A certain spark, a strength, a fortitude.
He asks them if they would consider being part of a very important group of people.
The people that will teach others.
But not because they are teachers, but because their personal challenges will teach others as well as themselves.
They will teach patience, love, empathy, service, strength, humility, hope and joy.
They will also be the cause of sadness, despair, anguish.
They will be the children who face medical issues.
They will face surgeries, hospital stays, illness, invasive treatments.
They will not be able to do what everyone else does.
Some will face radiation, chemotherapy, medications that make them sick.
Some will never walk, talk, see, hear, or eat by themselves.

Some will not live as long as others.
Some will be frail, weak, sickly.
But they will have the strength of warriors, even when their parents are spent.
They will have the courage of lions, protecting their pride.
They will smile, and the heavens will open up and shine down.
They will cry, and then smile the next moment.
They will wipe their mothers tears,  and make a joke to make their father smile.

These special spirits are sent down to do a mighty work.
And they know what they will be going through.
They know they will be facing challenges beyond comprehension.

This is when I told Kumaka that he was one of those spirits.
He knew what his journey would be like.
And he raised his hand, he chose that path.
Because he is special.
And all of those scars are the mark of the warrior.
They are reminders of his strength and courage.
They are our reminders too.