Samkha (ܣܡܟܐ)
No one walks the path of life alone. Even the strongest stumble, even the wisest falter, even the bravest grow weary. To give Support is to place your shoulder beneath another’s burden, so that no weight is carried in silence.
Support is more than the lifting of loads; it is the lifting of spirits. A word spoken kindly may uphold the heart more than a stone pillar upholds a roof. A listening ear may steady the soul more than an army steadies a city. To sit with one in sorrow, to laugh with one in joy, to walk beside one in uncertainty - these are the pillars of Support.
Do not say, “I have nothing to give.” For even the poor may offer a hand, the weary may offer a prayer, the broken may offer understanding. Support is not measured by wealth, nor by strength, but by presence. To be present is enough.
Support does not make another weak; it makes both stronger. A single thread may break, but woven with others it becomes rope. A single reed may bend, but bound with others it becomes a basket. So too with souls: bound together in Support, they endure.
Do not withhold Support from yourself. Many give endlessly until they are empty, and then despair that none comes to them. To ask for help is not shame but wisdom; to accept Support is not weakness but strength. As a mother accepts the hand of the midwife in birth, so too should you accept the hand of your neighbor in trial.
You will ask me, “But what if I offer Support and it is refused?” I tell you, offer still, but do not force. Place your gift at the gate and let it be received in time. For sometimes pride is a wall, and only gentleness can soften it. If one refuses today, they may welcome tomorrow. Let your Support be steady, not demanding.
And I say to you, true Support reaches beyond family, beyond tribe, beyond those who look or live as you do. To uphold only your own is to build a house with one wall missing. To uphold all is to build a house that endures.
There once was a man climbing a hill with a heavy load. He stumbled, and the bundle fell upon him. Two passed by - one said, “It is not my burden,” the other said, “It is his fault.” But a third came, lifted the bundle, and set it upon his own back. When they reached the top, the man said, “I could not have come here without you.” The helper answered, “Nor I without you, for your burden gave me strength.”
So it is with Support: when you uphold another, you are upheld yourself.
