I am an ole’ woman, I have lived through sixty-seven years. I have made a journey that was my own through them, step by step, struggle by struggle, lesson by lesson. There has been joy and love, loss and grief, laughter and tears, being shocked and feeling content. When I look back over my shoulder at what was, I can see the times I struggled yet came out the other side, I can see the joy and the tears, and feel their glow deep inside still.

When I was a child, life was simple and full of people who taught me, loved me, and cared for me. The teaching me helped grow me… Helped me grow in spiritual and educational ways. The faith that I built in my younger life has been my biggest blessing. That is what has carried me, of that, I am sure.

As I grew older, I learned that some lessons came with pain, but each taught me something valuable. The wisdom of elders, the kindness of friends, and the challenges I faced all played a role in shaping my heart and mind.

When I was 18, my life became more complicated. The fight for freedom, my personal freedom, taught me I had the strength to be, to do, and to become. It was a struggle, but one that grew me. I was a single mother, it was not easy, but it was something that I stepped up into, it grew me… I then had an accident that disabled me at 32 years old, still a single mom. That was a hard-fought through struggle, it grew me… It was my faith and my father that brought me through. I grew.

I found a man who was my soulmate, we were two parts of a whole, he said… I felt it. He had cancer, we fought that together without fear. His faith was as strong as mine, it grew me. I lost him, and once again I was alone… It grew me. I realized how blessed I was to have had his love and that he was a good man. He left me, but he waits for me to join him… It grew me.

Even through the hardships, I discovered resilience within myself that I never knew existed. Grief taught me empathy, and love taught me hope. Every loss was followed by newfound strength and a deeper understanding of what it means to truly live.

I am walking through a world now where I feel a bit lost, but I know the journey ahead is mine to walk… All the experiences in life grow us in one way or another. We live, we learn, as it is said. I live and learn and grow stronger in my faith. We all have different things that grow us, and yet we are all so much more alike than we realize.

When I look back, I see my steps and notice that the footprints may be deeper at times, and even falter and go off the path at times. In the end, the steps of my journey are shadowed by those of God. The greatest thing that grew me was and still is my faith. It was always my faith that carried me, grew me. It was my faith that helped me grow wiser, that helped me see the lessons of life and evolve into what was next, and carried me through.