Veterans Day 2015: Ex-Marine asks ‘How heavy is thy burden?”

How heavy is my burden? I prefer to use the analogy of a bag of rocks that I carry over my shoulder. It is with me everywhere I go. Some rocks are bigger than others, but collectively they weigh enough to make me want to drop my pack every now and then.

The tough part is, I’m afraid to lose those rocks. I’m afraid to lose them because of what they have done to shape my character and who I am as a man. So instead of dropping them aside and leaving them forgotten, I try to pass some of them off to folks like you, through writing or telling stories, to help lighten the load and make the pack “wearable”.

If you’re willing, please feel free to help me carry some of this burden. … Before doing so, you’ll probably want to know — what do these rocks represent?