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o n e h u n d r e d e i g h t y t h r e e

Someone once told me a story about a girl.
A girl who was always smiling.
A girl who you'd think couldn't ever be sad.
But really, she wasn't always happy. She wasn't always smiling.
But she kept it hidden.
Her sadness, her hurt and pain, her depression, and all other negative emotions and feelings were kept behind the closed doors, hidden from the wandering eyes.
She was a strong girl.
A beautiful girl.
A beloved girl by many.
But these truths were called out as false by her own self.
And you see this girl, she was broken.
But here's the thing; there's beauty in the broken.
Not that, romanticizing mental illness thing or romanticizing the all the physical pain a person brings upon them self.
No.
Here's the beauty of it all:
When she let someone in, they didn't leave her in the dust.
No.
They embraced her where she was and helped her move forward.
And the beauty is in the necklace.
No, it's not diamonds or pearls or anything fancy.
Frankly, it should have been thrown away with yesterday's trash.
It wasn't beautiful or shiny or expensive.
It was a simple ring.
A colored ring.
But a ring that meant recovery.
A ring that meant moving forward.
A ring of hope.
A ring of inspiration.
And so she wore it.
She put it on a chain and wore it every day.
And this girl recovered.
Maybe not fully yet, but she's come a long way.
True, she still hurts but she knows she can get through it.
And if she doesn't know, I'll be the one to tell her.
But this girl met another girl.
The girl was broken beyond belief.
She wanted to end it all.
But that first day they met she noticed the other girl's broken ring on that black necklace chain.
She wondered.
A broken ring isn't good for anything, it has no purpose.
Bust she asked about it anyways.
And slowly the girl with the necklace opened up to the broken girl.
The broken girl was stunned for with the smile the other wore, it was as if life was perfect.
But the two girls embraced each others flaws and weaknesses.
Together the strengthened each other.
And yes, the girls still struggle but that's not the point.
They learned a lot from each other and will continue to learn and continually be amazed by the other's strength and beauty.
Both inside and out.
And the biggest thing they've learned?

It's okay not to be okay.

It's just not okay to stay that way.
And because of Jesus, they don't have to stay that way.
But you see, the broken girl isn't broken beyond belief anymore.
Yeah, she's still broken, but aren't we all?
The point is she now has hope and a reason to live each day.
And that reason is hope.
She has hope for a brighter future.
The story was her's and mine.
The story's not over yet.
Because we'll see each other tomorrow.

This girl was Abby.
And the other girl,
was me.

° but when the pain cuts you deep // and the night keeps you from sleeping // just look and you will see // I will be your remedy °
remedy // Adele