I'm Still Here

After everything— the childhood scars, the broken promises, the violence I survived, the children I raised, the love I gave that was never returned— I’m still here. You don’t know what it costs someone like me to keep showing up in a world like this. To love when I’ve been hurt. To hope when I’ve been forgotten. To rise when I’ve been left behind. No, I haven’t made perfect choices. But I’ve made courageous ones. I’ve made sacrificial ones. And I’ve made them with a heart that never stopped trying. If you’ve ever wondered what survival looks like—it looks like me. Not polished. Not rich. Not untouched. But real. Bruised. Awake. Alive. And I still believe—somewhere in this life—there is softness meant for me. Not chaos. Not cruelty. Just peace. And I won’t stop reaching for it. Not now. Not ever. mm 04/25