Finding Belonging as a ‘War Orphan’

Coach Mike shares his perspective

Well, a war orphan is a resilient loner; we don’t need people around us to feel comfortable or welcome. We stand in our own lane. Headed down a road to who knows where, but there’s a destination to that final rest stop. 

You hear people say I was born alone; I’m going to die alone all the time. But being born alone and dying doesn’t mean they live alone. That’s not the same for war orphans. Well, from my view and things I’ve been through in life, it seems that even though there’s a million people in this world around us, we still feel alone. We travel the roads of loneliness from the time we wake til the time we shut our eyes (if we ever do that). Being the last child of 11, you may think he’s no orphan; he has a slew of loved ones !! 

Yea, that may be true. But what comes with having a bunch of siblings? Is the question that stays hiding in the dark. Abandonment? Separation? Resistance? 

A lot of people say that the way orphans respond to certain things in life is that they’re being difficult. That they’re being defensive! What if that’s just our way of making our way through the world where we feel nobody sees us? Where we feel that we’re just another piece of the puzzle that’s on the table but never gets a place to settle in and become part of the whole picture !!! 

There are times when we are picked up (used) and put back down when they realize oh this doesn’t fit here! And when I say fit here…. I mean fit here in the sense of this piece doesn’t belong in my plans, so I’m going to just toss it to the side like they messed up putting this piece in my box! 

What if, as a war orphan, our puzzle piece doesn’t have a home? What if our home was taken away from us? And all we’re trying to do is fit in to a place we have no business being. What if we’re just trying to find a sense of belonging to something that we know is no good for us and we will never fit in. So we fade back to the shadows of the trees on the path we’re on and settle for the life as a War Orphan! Back where no one sees our true value! Where we’re stepped over like a crack in the cement !! Funny how no one pays attn to the cracks when they are walking right ….

Well, that, my friend, is what it feels like to be a WAR ORPHAN …….. every day is a battle for us. Every day is a struggle. Every day we just try to blend in and SURVIVE so we can see another day that we call EVERYDAY!!!! Maybe 2mrrw…. 

I AM A WAR ORPHAN and will always #RISE #4TL