I am thankful. I am thankful for every small thing that makes up my life. I am thankful that I have had months of freedom. I am thankful that it has been so very long since selling myself was an option. I am thankful for choosing life. I remember how afraid I was of what I did not know or understand. I couldn’t believe in a different way of living. When each day ended, I was afraid to be alone. I was afraid to be rejected. I was afraid that I would be hurt. I was afraid that a family, a home, and a real life was too much to hope for, too much to wish for, too much to secretly long and ache for.
I am thankful that I choose daily to continue. I am thankful for my family. I am thankful that they believe in the God who has given me a new life. I am thankful that they know Him better than I do. I am thankful that they don’t focus on the depths He pulled me from but see the reality of the places He has called me to. I am thankful that I have life inside of me and not death.
I am thankful for this home, the first home I’ve ever had. I am thankful I can say the word “home” and it brings joy to my heart. I know what the word home means now. I know I am at home in my heart. I can finally rest.
I am thankful that the pain is a memory but safety is my reality every day.
I am thankful for the sweet smell of food as it cooks, knowing I have not gone hungry for so long.
I am thankful for the sound of laughter, especially my own. I am thankful that I have a destiny beyond the lies I believed for so long. I am thankful for quiet mornings where the sun rises slowly and I sip my coffee and enjoy peace.
I am thankful that I know what it feels like to be tucked in at night. I am thankful for the soft sheets that surround me. I am thankful for a door that locks but that it is the people around me who protect me now. I am thankful for safety. I thought the word safety meant something so different.
I am thankful for the tears I’ve cried and the memories I’ve shared because my future is brighter than that ache.
I am thankful for the people I call my family, that they chose me to call their own. They didn’t have to. They wanted to. It is amazing to be wanted, although I can’t offer them anything. They continue to choose “me”.
I am thankful for the books that rest on the shelves around this home. I am thankful for the words that those pages contain. I am thankful, more so, for the words my heart contains and the story God continues to write.
I am thankful for the little girl I was. I am thankful that she was kind. I am thankful that kindness is not a weakness. I am thankful that she ached for a family and was lonely. I am thankful that she didn’t hope in vain. I am thankful she dreamed of this home, of this family who would surround her, of fields with flowers. I am thankful that I dreamed of something beautiful. I am thankful this beauty is real.
-written by a Courage House Princess