The Man In The Mirror

Yesterday I was having a session with one of my clients, a bank robber on parole who has been in and out of the prison system since he was in his teens. He's been recently released after spending ten years in the federal prison system.  He spoke to me of the self he was, and the self he has become.  Today, he says, he focuses on the important things in life....rebuilding the relationship with his son and helping others.  "Today, when I look in the mirror, I like what I see."  And then he asked if I knew the following poem, 'The Man in the Mirror.'

If you get what you want in your struggle for self

And the world makes you king for a day

Then go to the mirror and look at yourself

And see what that man has to say

For it isn't a man's father, mother or wife

Whose judgement upon him must pass

The fellow whose verdict counts most in his life

Is the man staring back from the glass

He's the fellow to please, never mind the rest

For he's with you clear up to the end

And you've passed your most dangerous, difficult test

If the man in the glass is your friend

You can fool the whole world down the pathway of years

And get pats on the back as you pass

But your final reward will be heartache and tears

If you've cheated the man in the glass

-- A convict...found on the walls of his cell--

Each of us looks into a mirror at least several times each day.  Who looks back at you?

Wishing you all a day of peace and love.