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Living In Shadow Of Death 7

I blinked in surprise, unsure of what to say. Had I really changed that much?

> “I’m just… trying to get by,” I said, feeling a little embarrassed.

> “No,” she said, shaking her head. “You look like someone who has found herself again. I’m proud of you, girl.”

Her words struck a chord deep within me. In all the time I had been focused on fixing everything around me, I had neglected to see the change within myself. I wasn’t the same person I had been before. I had survived. I had learned. And that, in itself, was worth celebrating.

We spent the next few hours talking, catching up on everything that had happened in our lives since we’d last seen each other. It felt like a moment of liberation, reconnecting with someone from my past and realizing how far I had come.

When I returned home, the joy from the encounter stayed with me. I was no longer just fighting to survive; I was fighting to thrive. I wasn’t just working to prove myself to others. I was working to prove to myself that I could overcome anything.I became proud of myself, my family and my family were also proud of me