if - rudyard kipling

i found this poem when i looked through my sister's status on ym. i remembered this poem vaguely, but i can still recall the lines she wrote. it was the lines that i favoured the most, because for me, waiting is such a magic in my life. and recalling this poem brought me back to where i once belong, a place full of magic, trust, tears, hopes, dreams and beauty. the period of my life that He willed me to feel the golden experience, the very first stage of me being a human. like mama once said, 'the best education i had ever had'. remembering the period since the start of it and till the most beautiful end of it when i met someone that brings more magic into my life, making me realize how much He loves me and how the hopes and dreams will go on, straight on, shining. this is the manifestation of the roads that i have taken, shone by the lights of my education, accompanied by the people that i love, together walking slowly through the paths in our life, to Him.

IF YOU can keep your head when all around you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:


If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;
If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim,
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:


If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on!”


If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!

there are times in life that we feel hopeless, that we think we are the worst persons on earth, that we think we are doomed, 'going to die', 'finished'. as a normal human being, i myself never escaped feeling the same. especially when we are far away from our sources of inspirations ie our loved ones, when we cannot tell how we feel about things that we think no one will understand or never want to understand eventhough they can, and when we feel we are alone in a world where all people care are themselves, what they believe is right, what they think other people should believe is right, without even try to listen to us. listen without interrupting our voices, listen without cutting our lines. at times, when we feel this way, deep in our hearts, we miss the people who enjoy being with us without even care what we did, without even acknowledge our torn and holed socks, without judging eyes. we cherish every moment when we can eat and laugh with them, when we can sit together, watching the rainbow and teasing each other playfully, being children, being accepted as we are. because we all have our dark times that we have to deal with, and how blessed it is to have such wonderful persons who you can laugh with and at the same time, accepting advices from. persons who you can joke about your mistakes and at the same time, have the wonderous feelings of overcoming them, without feeling pain, without being scratched. they are our soulmates that whenever we feel lonely at nights, will hear them laughing and smiling warmly at us, they are the ones that will hug us when we feel cold, and when they are far, will always remind us to cover ourselves with thick blankets at night, so that to keep us warm and not missing them. they are the voices that we always await for, no matter how long we have spend our times with them, we never get bored. as if there's everything to be talked about. they are our loves, our likes and dislikes. they give us reasons to hope, a cause to hold on, even through the darkest nights and the most severe storms. how blessed we are, having these persons in our life. how He wants to show to us, that He never lies when He loves us. eventhough one day, we all will get separated, but the memories, the joy, the feelings, the hopes and inspirations will never fade with time, as long as He wishes it. and whatever happens, we are together, here- in our hearts. how He wants us to appreciate our life through these people, how He wants to show His love to us through them. how He wants us to never lose hope whatever happens, as He is right here- nearer to us than we can ever imagine. how these are all impossible without He wishes them to be. how i wish i can thank them for being there in my life, and how i wish to thank Him for their presence in my life. though many words are said, many feelings shared, many thoughts for ahead, i still wish to say that i thank you all, and i thank You, my Utmost Love. for Your patience, for Your love, for Your gifts, for Your hope, for me, for You.