i can do anything

Some days, it seems like life couldn't get any harder. You are feeling so down on yourself and you can't seem to pull yourself up. As hard as you try, it feels like someone is always there to knock you back down. Things happen, people betray you, criticize you, judge you. The discouragement can take its toll on your spirit. You want to be happy, you want to be positive, you want people to see you and think "what does she have that I don't?" But, there are those times when it seems like there is no hope left inside you.

I have been caught up in this lately, feeling burdened by such emotion. Maybe it's the cold, dark weather. Maybe it's the stress of school. Maybe it's the fact that my basketball team just can't seem to win. Whatever it may be, it is a little overwhelming. I feel like it's never going to end.

Ironically, I received a letter in the mail at the beginning of this week. Addressed to me but with no return address, I opened up the envelope, curious as to what I'd find. I found a small slip of paper. As I read it, I realized it was a letter of encouragement. The short note contained a quote that read...

"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.' You must do the thing you think you cannot do."
Eleanor Roosevelt

Confused, I set the letter aside, not thinking much of it. But then again today, I received another anonymous letter, addressed the same and with no return address. Anxious, I opened it up and found a single quote.

"A hero is one who knows how to hang on one minute longer."
Norwegian proverb

But rather than just setting the letter aside this time, I thought about it. It occurred to me that there is something out there who cares, someone who knows that I can make it through even the low points in life. It's hard when you feel alone, like no one really understands what you are going through; but, everyone knows that it's like to feel sad. Everyone knows what it's like to have a bad week. No one is perfect, and no one has a perfect life. But, you can make it through whatever situation you are put in, and those situations only make you stronger. They make you realize how blessed you truly are and that is what is important. So, next time you are feeling down, upset, lonely, remember that there are people who care about you, people who support, people who will be there for you no matter what. And that is love.