The evidence of things hoped for...

It's only been recently, you see, that I've become brave enough to speak; courageous enough to add my voice to the sound of those who dare to live. The sound of my voice, for a very, very long time was unbearable to my own ears.

Today, when I tell people how introverted and terrified of my own heartbeat I used to be, they look at me with a wide-eyed - YOU?! Their disbelief comes from the fact that they do not understand the beginning. Those who know me now, see the second half - the part of me that walks, talks, lives and loves the fact that i've reached the tunnel's light. What they don't see or know is how long, challenging and difficult the walk has been.

Yes, I am out of the cave, but my journey continues. I am free enough - today - to not be afraid to show my face - (I never would take pictures, let alone put one on display for others to see and judge), and it feels great. Each day, as I walk in the light, I clench the hand of hope and it willingly reciprocates. It is my comfort as I sometimes have to look back, in order to understand how I arrived at where I am. Hope, too, is my reassurance, as I look forward toward the unknown, to not fear, but to calmly and steadily keep walking - one step at a time.

I don't know where you are in your life's walk. Perhaps you too, have reached the light of the tunnel, or maybe, you are clinging to its walls for dear life. Wherever it is you happen to be, grasp on to hope and never let it go. With each step you take, know that there is light at the end of the tunnel. There is.