Her steps were slow under the weight of her body as she made her way through the door. Excitement was evident in her expression, along with a hint of uncertainty.
Approaching her to introduce myself, she reached out her hand to shake mine. While doing so, a smile quickly spread across her face. Her cheeks expanded, filling in the spaces below her bright hazel eyes. Falling just below her shoulders, her light brown hair rested on the over-sized shirt she wore to hide her body’s imperfections.
We sat down and began to converse with one another. She chose her words carefully, saying only what she felt safe to share. Her hesitance gave insight into a past that had robbed her of trust and confidence in others.
Even so, her bubbly personality could not be contained. Soon, she was bursting into laughter which filled the room and all eyes made their way to her. Her smile and joyful laughter quickly spread and infected all those around her, including me.
Weeks passed and our friendship grew. Her uncertainty slowly began to flee, as trust emerged in its place. The walls that had protected her for so many years began to crumble piece by piece. Her insecurities faded and soon she became comfortable in her own skin.
Her dark and painful past was hidden behind her happy personality and the beautiful smile that never seemed to leave her face. One would never know that she had been abandoned by her parents, neglected by her family and abused by her ex-husband.
She has overcome all the obstacles that life has handed her, but through them she has been molded into the strong, loving and gentle woman that she is today. Her life and experiences have taught me numerous lessons. Her amazing personality and ability to overcome has shown me great strength and perseverance. It is an honor to consider her my friend.
Her life is an every day example of the quotation, “Don’t let your past define your future.” We all have a past, some more difficult than others. But if we choose to, we can overcome it. Our future is what we make it. Let’s make it good.
“We are products of our past, but we don’t have to be prisoners of it.” ~ Rick Warren
This post is for today’s Writing 101 assignment hosted by The Daily Post.
Assignment: Who’s the most interesting person (or people) you’ve met this year? Today’s twist: Turn your post into a character study.
Me - Who am I? 
While I won’t give up, it seems like I still have a bit of a distance to travel to reach contentment.
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And that’s okay. The most important part is that you won’t give up.
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Wow that quote “We are products of our past, but we don’t have to be prisoners of it.” It did bring out some realities for me to home. I do get what you were conveying there, but Ah if it could be just as easy to follow. Nevertheless a very thought provoking post. Thank you for sharing 🙂
With Love,
Zee ❤
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That quote stuck out to me too. It holds so much truth. You’re right though, sometimes is is easier to say than to do. This woman, my friend, has has shown me that even some of the most difficult of pasts can be overcome. It’s possible, just takes work.
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Wonderful. A good laugh and a beautiful smile are worth more than any amount of ‘pretty’. Sounds like a great friend!
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Agreed! Plus, those things make a person pretty. I know beautiful women who make themselves very ugly with their personality.
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You aren’t wrong there, on either count.
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