I feel triumphant and proud. I have defeated my foe with a final death blow. Our weeklong battle has come to an end, and now I can rest tonight knowing that I have protected my family.

The Background Story

I have five kiddos (all girls), but sometimes they play like boys. They are my little princesses, but life is not all bows and dresses. They like to play in the mud. They enjoy tag and wrestling. And they are always running around with their shoes off (which they did all the time in Indonesia).

If we cataloged all of the bumps, scrapes, and bruises, we would have more volumes than the Encyclopedia Britannica (my kids don't even know what that means). This week we battled splinters. Those tiny pieces of wood shoved underneath my kiddos' delicate skin wreaked havoc on the family. Three splinters in two girls in one week is enough to make a papa bear go a bit crazy.

Princess #2 lodged a centimeter long splinter in the bottom of her foot while being bared footed in the house of all places. I have been poking and prodded at her for days, and finally tonight I was victorious. Even the little victories are worth celebrating. She is one of the bravest in the house, probably second only to her mom. She endured the pain, and she was so proud of me for taking away her problem.

Princess #5 (our youngest) is s redhead and full of fire. I was a bit concerned about doctoring her boo-boo. Redheads are said to have a lower pain tolerance, but she did about as good as her bigger sister. She had two splinters on the same hand, and tonight we finally removed the one on her finger.

Splinters can Fester

Our bodies reject foreign objects like splinters or at least try to. They do their best to fight off the infections that we are so susceptible to. And as a last line of defense, our bodies will form calluses to protect us.

Splinters need to be removed, even when the process is a bit painful. But what about emotional or spiritual splinters?

What about hurt, bitterness, trauma, and injustice? I cannot completely protect my family from these things (even though I desire to), but as a father and husband, I want to help the ladies in my life remove the splinters. I want to do the same in my own life.

A foreign object left in our minds and souls will fester. We, too, can grow callus. Our hearts and minds can grow sick if the splinter is not removed.

Final Thoughts

Splinters must be removed, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual. Sometimes we can deal with these concerns on our own. Sometimes we need someone to help us, just like my daughters needed me.

I want to hear from you.

1. How do you remove physical splinters? Do you have any advice to pass along to your fellow Steemians in case they have this issue?
2. Do you deal with emotional and spiritual splinters? Do you deal with it alone or do you seek help from other people?
3. Have you ever formed a callus because of how someone hurt you? Has your heart even become sick and infected because someone caused you pain? Feel free to share if you want to.

Thanks for stopping by.

@SumatraNate

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Image Source: https://pixabay.com/en/people-man-adult-nude-hand-3120717/