I have not ever been truly alone, even when it felt like my world was crashing down around me. There are people in my life who love me and make it known; not only with their words, but with their kind acts.
I am blessed with two happily married parents, three sisters, and have acquired three brothers. Whenever I call one of my sisters, and she cannot talk in that moment, she texts me to ask, “Are you okay?” because if I wasn’t, she would drop whatever she was doing in order to help me. It is moving to know that I am loved so deeply.
My life has definitely not been perfect, and I have not walked the path I would have chosen as a younger person starting out. But I am overcoming obstacles which seemed impossible at one point in my life.
I have forged a new path as I travel on; knowing that every decision I make can change my world, and that much of my life is without my control. I have finally achieved many of my goals in a round-about way. I suppose that maybe the path is a loop with several forks in the road. Either way you go, you end up where you are meant to be. Maybe.
I think that the people in our lives make our life worth living. Traveling the path of life, you acquire people along the road, no matter which way you turn at the fork. I have been blessed with a great support system. Family with whom I have the honor of sharing life.
Not everyone is so lucky, and I hate that. I have friends who struggle with mental illness and poverty. I wish the world was fair and that all doctors could help people with their specific needs, but there aren’t enough good ones out there, and not many that are affordable. All I can do is support the friends and people I meet in every way I can. Support is so important. Many people are in distress. Let us help those we are capable of helping, spread the message of hope, and build bonds of love in a world filled with hardened hearts.
—SJB