The Difference

God grant me the serenity,

I had taken for granted oh so long.

Until one day I finally realized,

I had known it all along.

 

I cannot change my brother,

Alcoholic, drug addict, and depressed.

But rather be there for him,

And hope for all the best

 

I cannot change mistakes I’ve made,

Or take back the words I’ve said,

I can only hope to learn from them,

And look forward to what’s ahead.

 

What I can change I face with courage,

Knowing it is best,

Confident but never arrogant,

With a little extra air in my chest.

 

I can change the way I feel and way I look,

By a very simple mean.

But to change what I may not think is best,

Requires high self esteem.

 

And then there is knowing the difference,

So simple one would think.

This is the part I struggled to grasp most,

It was the one missing link.

 

And then that day came,

And everything seemed so clear.

What’s out of my control or in my hands,

Is determined simply by fear.