TEARS

Approximately 15 years ago I was at a friend's wedding and during thespeeches at the reception, the groom was thanking his parents for theirlove and patience. His emotions got the better of him and tears began tofreely flow.

Some at the wedding thought it showed a weakness in Warren.As for me, these words came to my mind (I don't know if I created thissaying or if I heard it from somewhere else), and I am reminded of themeverytime tears well up in my eyes:"Tears do not a man belittle - but rather a man they make."

Women just seem to naturally know how to cry. Their emotions arestirred reading a book, watching a movie, grieving with a friend,experiencing the pain their children experience.

Men have a long way to goin learning, and I hesitate to use it, about their "soft side". We have beentaught by our fathers that tears are a sign of weakness, "Grown men don'tcry". Instead, we should be teaching our children that tears are a sign thatwe have enough confidence in ourselves to be ourselves.

To be able to laugh so hard that tears run down your face is to experience true joy. To be ableto look up to a Heavenly Father with tears streaming down our face and say"Thank-you for forgiving me" is to understand true forgiveness. To stand ata grave side with uncontrolled tears is to say that you loved someone andyou are truly going to miss them.

Can a man really be complete if he suppresses the urge to shed tears, toshow his soft side? You have to decide that for yourself.