Celebrate yourself
To be a woman, a survivor and a counselor
She’ll never be the one to ask for help, complain about her life or say she can’t handle something. Her answer will always be the same: I am okay, I am fine.
That’s not who she is or will ever be, she learned the hard way, never to tell her whole story.
She learned a long time ago to never depend on anyone to save her or bail her out.. That's why she answers when you reach out, she knows loneliness.
So she grew stronger, tougher and braver as she fought her way through the hard stuff and kept going.
Because when the storms of life hit- and they often raged around her- she realized that the only person she could truly count on was herself.
That didn’t mean she didn’t love the people in her life or resented anyone for not trying to help her…
It just meant she figured out that she’d need to be independent and resilient in her life if she was ever to become the happiest version of herself.
The version she was meant to be, not the version expected her to be. But herself, her truth, her her past her future
She knew it wouldn’t be easy and even a bit lonely at times,
Because this new her is the exact opposite of who she was.
She had learned the hard way that she was the one she could count on when life got hard.
People would often marvel at her strength, remarking that she always seemed to have it together..
But they’d never know that there were so many times that she was moments away from falling apart and that it took everything she had just to keep going…
She’d always have a smile on her face and a lightness to her step. Even though every step brought her pain.
She was determined never to let the world bring her down..
Or for anyone to see anything but that what she wanted them to see.
Maybe she’d need to step away from the busyness of life and have a quick cry or perhaps she’d take a moment to pull herself back together.. Take a breather because someone else's story is to close to home.
But she’d always show up and shine brightly as she always did.
Maybe she didn’t always feel pretty or calm, but that’s how she always appeared.
What they didn’t know.. they didn’t need to know.
The weight of the world rested on her shoulders so often and while she sometimes struggled with her own demons.
She always found a way to get everything done, even to do so while others were sleeping...
She’d look in the mirror every morning and smile, knowingly.
Just because she carried it well didn’t mean it wasn’t heavy.
But she could handle it.
She always did.
After all, she was a strong and independent woman..
And that’s what strong women do.
They always rise again and persevere.
No matter how many times she was beaten down, they always rise again. Beaten but not broken.
To all the strong woman in my life. To those who are surviving every day, I am proud of you. You are phenomenal, keep on fighting.
Toni
The Shackz
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