“Never underestimate a scar, it simply means you were stronger than whatever tried to hurt you”

-Unknown

I never thought too much about scars before. But, now that I have a large scar right on the front of my face I have been noticing them more in the world around me. My scar is fresh and still very noticeable. In a way I am thankful for the protection my scar gives me. My face is still extremely tender and even the slightest touch can be very painful. My scar reminds Hunter that he can’t throw his football too close to me, it lets my daughter?know to kiss me on the other cheek, and it tells Travis that my face is not ready for a tickle war yet.?People see my scar and are more careful with me. If they ask what happened they get to hear our scary run in with stage three melanoma and they offer their compassion. Don’t get me wrong, I would much rather have no scar and I am doing everything in my power to fade this scar, but that is going to take time. While I’m healing my scar is offering everyone around me a little reminder to be careful.

The scar on my face is not the only scar melanoma left me. I have another scar about 6 inches long just above my right hip where they took tissue to fill in the hole that was on my cheek. This scar is just as tender, but people don’t see it.

I believe the scars no one can see are the ones that hurt the most. I don’t walk around with a big scar on my face that warns the world that I lost my eighteen month old son and the pain is still excruciating. The nice old man at the store who looks at me with my three kids and says, “Wow, you sure have your hands full!” has no idea that on the inside part of me wants to scream, “I wish my hands were more full.?I wish I had a little one-handed boy with a feeding tube running around with me!”.

People all over the world are walking around with big ugly scars on their insides. That couple that you keep telling to have a baby already…they have been trying desperately to have one with no success. The friend that you just whined to about all the weight your gaining with your pregnancy…she had a miscarriage four months ago . The girl crying during the?body pump class at the gym…she is not a?total psycho like you think…she had to bury her baby?and is hating the fact that she is at the gym, because she can’t be home in an empty house while her other kids are at school.

The point is…

Scars. We all have them and little things can really agitate them. Let’s help each other out and try to remember that we need to be more gentle, compassionate and less judgmental?to everyone we meet.

Never underestimate a scar.