footprints in the snow

One day a man had a dream. He dreamed he was
walking in the fresh snow by himself. Across the
sky flashed scenes from his life. For every scene, he
noticed but his own footprints in the snow. When
the last scene of his life flashed before him, he
looked back at the footprints in the snow. He noticed
that even at the very lowest and saddest
times in his life, there were only one set of
footprints. This disappointed him initially, but he
soon realized that he had arrived at this point
without needing anyone to ease his burdens. "During
my times of trial and suffering, when I see only one
set of footprints, it means that I didn't give up and
that I carried myself through it."