"Who is the Giver?", you may ask.

The Giver is a rare soul; a rare woman with a heart of gold. With the purest of hearts, she is an eternal optimist, even when she shouldn't be. She is logical enough to know when to question things and bring out her inner realist, but at the end of the day she sees the good in the world. She hopes for things like love, change, growth, and peace. The beauty and goodness people possess tends to outweigh the evil through her rose-colored glasses. Regardless of the horrific visions she's seen when the glasses come off and people's true colors are revealed, she still hopes for the best.

The Giver is a soul who naturally gives her love, attention, care, patience, and energy to those in need, but very rarely gets the same in return. Lost, misunderstood, and broken souls typically find her as if a magnetic force were pulling them toward each other. She has a need and a desire to help, to please, and ease others pain, probably because she knows it all too well. She is a walking contradiction. She knows what it feels like to be lost, broken, and misunderstood, yet she's whole all on her own. The giver is a collector of souls, of stories, and of human emotion. She is capable of showing empathy towards all she encounters and seeing light even in the darkest of souls. She is always capable of seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, no matter how sinister and twisted things may get. However, as a result, she gives her heart, her mind, and her soul to those who are sometimes undeserving out of habit. She can't help herself. Her loving nature is both a strength and a downfall, that sometimes get her burned. Yet, due to her selfless and optimistic nature these burns hold lessons and stories, even if she's the only one who will ever know their hard truth. She heals herself and continues down the road less traveled. She's finds peace in her growth and in her stories.

The Giver, although soft and sentimental at her very core, is also a fierce fighter. However, she did not become this by choice and certainly not overnight. The Giver has been through trials and tribulations. She's seen cruelty, loss, heartbreak, and hardship. She's been loved, but she's also been scorched. She never wants to burden others with her troubles, so she locks them up and buries them deep enough so they're only visible to her. She stays strong for herself and all those around her, even though at times she's breaking on the inside. The Giver's world could be crumbling, but she'd still make sure you're ok before tending to her broken pieces. She has a loyal, servant heart. She wears scars, stories, and battle wounds that she may never speak of and most have not slightest idea of. She hides them beautifully behind a sweet smile. She fights for what she wants, what she deserves, and what she needs in life because no one has ever given her a handout. Nor have many fought for her. She's had to fight her own battles. She fights for those she sees similar qualities or potential in, in a means to help them grow and reach their greatness too. In the midst of it all, she sometimes finds herself lost or forgetting to tend to herself due to her selfless nature. In some cases, she finds herself evaluating the costs and benefits, after it's too late. She's already lost the battle; drained and pillaged of her resources. She must pick herself up from the ashes, with nothing but the power that lies within her bones. She is a warrior, armored and ready to take on each day with the attitude that the day will not defeat her. She will prevail, against all odds; coming out not only standing tall on the other side, but stronger than she was before. She will not let the day conquer her or her spirit, even if she has to go to battle to do so. She will never give up the fight, for she has too much hope and love running through her veins. She believes in too much to surrender.

The Giver is a woman with a wild spirit but a grounded mind. She is wise beyond her years because she's experienced life beyond her years. She's experienced things others have not. She is capable of spectacular, unimaginable things. She is aware of all of this, but is not one to boast about it. She is confident, but humble and ok with who she is. She is far from perfect and the first critic to reminder herself of it. She is constantly trying to find ways to improve, innovate, and flourish, always ensuring there's constant growth in all facets her life. She is brutally honest with herself and those around her. She accepts her flaws, weaknesses, and areas in need of improvement. The Giver loves a good challenge. Yet, this calm, but confident nature scares others. She's also aware of this. The Giver thrives off of human connection, and yet no one is ever fully ready to let her in, so they keep her at a distance. They keep her at arms-length; taking pieces of her at a time, at their leisure, on their terms. Friends, lovers, strangers, family, all have the tendency to possess the same pattern. She has discovered the hard truth; for she's the only one who can unconditionally love her, fully understand her depths, and hear her heart's periodic cry for help.

So, she stays there, in that desolate, lonely place...waiting. She waits in hopes that one day someone is capable, strong, and skilled enough to break down the tall, steel barricades she's carefully spent years building to protect herself. The ugliness of human nature has forced her to do such. Once, maybe just once in her lifetime, she desires for someone to fight for her as fiercely as she fights for everything in her life; to prove all her theories wrong. Make no mistake though, the Giver doesn't need to be saved. She wants an equal to conquer each passing day with. She desires a lifetime of adventure.

The Giver is someone in your life, whether you look beyond your nose to realize it. I can't tell you who, that's for you to discover. When you do, give this person the love, care, appreciation, time, and understanding they not only deserve, but need before it's too late. Do not take their pure heart for granted. Cherish it, before you lose them. These souls don't come around every day. The Giver is indeed a rare gem.