...There were nights when I retreated inward, rivers flowing from private wells of grief within. There was no shoulder to catch me, so I bore silent witness to my unraveling instead. When sunlight returned, I met it with a mask of normalcy, concealing evidence of recurring pain-threatening cracks in my pillar of control.
I endured lost in obsessive cycles and worry, my smile flashing convincingly as a weary stranger while needing just one person to discern my hurt. But rescue came from within instead of external sources in due time, as it always does...Now I stand, humility and resilience rising from healing gently after silent storms weathered solo. Scars remain, yet I proudly wear my battles now - no longer hiding bruises or walking around broken dreams once so hopeful.
I know we must save ourselves when dams break and build upon a solid bedrock of self-trust. And though loss deeply hurts for a season, here I bloom still - enduring and rising again. What is coming was earned through this darkness, and the light ahead shines that much brighter for it. "
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