I Am Woman, I Am Strong

840 Words2 Pages

Being strong willed and strong hearted is a trait that many feel is a great character to have. At this point in my life; I, can truly say that it can sometimes be a long road to achieve this character; but is defiantly worth the hard work and perseverance. Growing up in a divorced family was the beginning of the development of my need to be a strong individual. My mother had to work many jobs to support myself and my brother. This left the two of us alone and together most of our childhood. While I know that my brother truly loved me, sometimes a teenage boy does not show a small girl the compassion that she requires. I had to frequently take care of myself while my brother was finding more important things to occupy his time with. At the age of 11, my parents decided to reunite, and this became my lifelong struggle with trust, mistrust and development of strength and courage to achieve my dreams and goals in life. My mother continued to work long, hard hours while my father golfed, gambled and drank, to what most people would consider “the extreme”. During my school years, I ran our household while my mom worked. I made sure the house was clean and dinner was always on the table for my father, which left no time for a social life. My dad was abusive towards my mom and I would feel helpless as I listened from my room to him physically and mentally abusing her. After many years of not having the courage to help her, I finally at the age of 16 gave her an ultimatum. Either she leaves the abusive relationship or I would leave, so I would not have to endear the pain of it any longer. My brother was already married and beginning a family of his own by this point, so this left mom and me on our own. Mom and I both wor... ... middle of paper ... ... a homemaker and provide a good home for me, like my mother did”. This began my final test of strength and courage. I divorced my husband and began attending college full time. Working 2 jobs, raising 3 children and attending the nursing program full time was the hardest task I had ever done. It also gave me a great sense of achievement and self worth. After completing school and obtaining my nursing license, I realized that if I was able to withstand that period of time and succeed, I was strong enough to accomplish anything I chose to do and would never allow anything or anyone to stand in my way again. After a lifetime of abuse and mistrust, I have finally found someone who is proud of my strength and independence, although he sometimes wishes I was little more dependent on him, when asked what it is that he loves the most about me, he says “my strength”.

Open Document