August 6th

The Lord said to Gideon, ‘The troops with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand. Israel would only take the credit away from me, saying, “My own hand has delivered me.” Judges 7:2

that bootstrap we think we used

to pull ourselves up to where we are

was the neighbor who hired us 

to mow the lawn and babysit the kids,

was the teacher who let us 

retake that test we needed to pass,

was the supervisor who took a chance

on the untrained person sitting across

the desk in a botched job interview.

that self-made person we see

in the mirror every day and brag about

came about through the sacrifices

of the grandmother who worked in factories,

the uncle who drove a tractor, 

that older sister who tutored us in math,

the parents who gave up their own dreams.

that success we enjoy which

so many others applaud and envy

is because of those who stayed

in the background silently nudging us

even though we left them behind

without a simple word of thanks.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman