"Footprints" Poem

One night in deepest sleep, I dreamed,
Upon the beach I walked.
The Lord was by my side each step
As quietly we talked.

Then on the sky my life appeared;
Each chapter was serene.
Two sets of footprints in the sand
I saw in every scene.

And then I noticed in some parts
Of discontent and strife,
Just a single pair of footprints
In the worst times of my life.

"Lord, you said you'd walk by me
In good times and in bad.
Why then weren't you with me
When you knew my life was sad?"

"My dearest child," God whispered.
"When you suffered then, I knew;
The single pair of footprints

Were those times I carried you."