How fickle my heart
and how woozy my eyes
I struggle to find
any truth in your lies
And now my heart stumbles
on things I don't know
This weakness I feel
I must finally show

Lend me your hand
and we'll conquer them all
But lend me your heart
and I'll just let you fall
Lend me your eyes
I can change what you see
But your soul you must keep,
totally free
~Mumford and Sons "Awake My Soul"

Men are supposed to be big. Men are supposed to be strong. Men are supposed to be tall, courageous handsome and brave.
Yeah, if you want a mindless meat head.
Vulnerability is often seen as sign of weakness. "You're a pussy for crying!" "Ha, you like that mushy stuff?" etc etc and so on. People don't realize that those that wear their hearts on their sleeve are perhaps the strongest of them all. They lend themselves to be that open ear, the tears that can't fall and the arms that you were never held by. Oftentimes, these people are overlooked or never told "thank you".
Today, I say thank you.

I have been "deer" friends with  osric24 for years. Throughout this friendship, he has always been a great encouragement to me, never rejecting me for any reason whatsoever or forcing his views on me. He is a devout Christian, one of the few I can call a genuine believer that keeps an open mind and practices what he preaches. Over the years, he's only professed one concern to me and that's with being weak.
My red deer friend has cancer. It eats away his body of physical strength due to the draining chemotherapy and surgery to remove the diseased masses. He's professed to me many times of wanting to shape up more and develop his physical characteristics but he never worries about being vulnerable.
People may think that being vulnerable and defensive and clinging to his faith guardedly against atheists like me would be the natural reaction of someone in his situation, but to quote him directly: "Being vulnerable is my specialty...why put up defenses if I'm at my best when not defending?...Getting defensive is the worst thing I can do for myself, usually staying calm and answering in love is best."
He has plenty of reasons to be bitter, plenty of reasons to denounce his faith and weaken in anger and hatred, but instead, he chooses life. He relies on his faith and God to carry him through 100% and the shoulders of his friends.
He deserves so much more than a drawing from me, but for now, this is all I can give to try and brighten his day.

You are the strongest person I know, Osric <3 Never give up on your faith and friends. I'll always be there for you, no matter what <3