The words you said to me will be forever etched into my mind...

You said I was not good enough

You said I would never be good enough

You said I would never make it

You said I should give up

Maybe you were right. Maybe I wasn't good enough at the time. That's okay. I've made my peace with that. I was still learning. I was still finding myself. I still am. In that time, I've learned that I am good enough. I am more than enough. Maybe I wasn't good enough for you. But that is not my problem, it was yours. You told a little 11-year-old girl that she would never amount to much in this world. Guess what?

You were wrong.

That little girl, she grew up. She grew up to be an honors graduate of high school, started college two years early, was accepted into Honors College, and is one semester away from nursing school. She made it. She sacrificed a lot to be able to be where she's at. She fought like hell to prove you wrong. While you spent so many years trying to tear her down, you were teaching her how to fight and stand up for herself. You showed her that this world can be such a very dark place and that she would have to be her own light.

I didn't realize it back then but thank you. Thank you for your harsh words. Thank you for not believing in me. Thank you for forcing me to believe in myself.

I am better because of it.

"To be a star, you must shine your own light, follow your own path, and don't worry about the darkness, for that is when the stars shine brighter." - Napolean Hill