The Life I Never Asked For

I grew up learning what life could take,

before I was old enough to understand the ache.

At only three, I lost my father,

a face I cannot remember, a voice I wish I could hear.

I wish I had known him longer,

I wish I had known his hands.

I was just a little child,

but grief was already making plans.

And the years kept asking more from me,

more than a child should hold.

I learned to smile with empty pockets,

learned to stand when I was cold.

The life I never asked for

kept calling out my name

The life I never asked for

still pushed me through the pain

I held my home together

I held my dreams together

Family hardship on my shoulders,

every day another test.

I became the breadwinner early,

put my heart inside my chest.

I left school with unfinished pages,

traded books for tired hands.

Some nights I came home shaking,

but I still tried to stand.

And when the world got heavy,

I leaned on faith to see me through.

If I had nothing left but prayer,

I gave that part to You.

The life I never asked for

kept calling out my name

The life I never asked for

still pushed me through the pain

I held my home together

I held my dreams together

I’m so tired, but I’m still here

scarred, but I’m still breathing

I carried more than my own years

and never stopped believing

If success is far away,

I’ll walk there anyway

For every tear I never said,

I turned it into faith

The life I never asked for

won’t be the end of me

The life I never asked for

is where I learned to see

I held my home together

I held my dreams together

The life I never asked for

but I’m still standing tall