My Story

That morning, I knew my plot. 

And I knew who I was.

But a few things have changed since then.

My pages are damp, ripping along the edges.

Suddenly, all of my stars were falling and at that exact moment;

everything. single. thing. about my story changed.

Forever.

You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have, 

for 6 months, and thousands of pages.

For so long, I had a chapter that I couldn't read aloud.

And suddenly, another chapter was added to that list. 100 pages.

There are two types of pains; one that hurts you and others that change you.

The pain I felt hanging on for the one thing that just dropped me... 

Well, sometimes you get the brightest light from a burning bridge. 

I was no longer a prisoner of something I couldn't change.

And they tried to bury me, but didn't know I was a seed.

I came to a point where I knew I needed to just fall apart.

I needed the opportunity to rebuild myself the way I wished I'd been all along.

And years from now, in retrospect, these times of struggle will strike me as the most beautiful.

Everyone has been through something that has changed them in a way that they could never go back to the person they were before. 

And now I can tell my story without crying, so I know I've healed. 

Life is tough, but oh, so am I.

This work is tough enough, and they'll judge you and tear you down no matter what.

I don't know the key to happiness but the key to failure is trying to please everyone else. 

In the end, the only ones who truly care are the ones who hear you when you're quiet.

But sometimes what you're most afraid of doing is the very thing that will set you free.

I had to step back and find that there are so many beautiful reasons to be happy.

A smile is even more brilliant when it has struggled through tears.

How we walk when we are broken speaks louder than how we sit while we are great.

So life knocked me down 9 times, but this time.... I rolled over to look at the stars.

Now I'm thankful for my struggle because without it, I wouldn't have stumbled across my strengths.

No one will ever dull my sparkle. 

I continue to shine.

The difference now is that I believed I could;

so I did.

Nothing will ever dim an inner light 

and I will win, not immediately, but definitely.