apologized and you accepted,

you didnt do it for his sake, but for your own

piece of mind.

So as you walked out that door, leaving that man behind, you sighed. Because although you forgave him you knew you could never forget, and thats why to this day, youve never looked back.

The Strength To Let Go The reality is that sometimes, it takes more strength to let go than it does to keep holding on.

When a woman stands with her back to the wind and her face to the sun, raises her head, exhales and finally lets go, thats a powerful moment for her. So many feelings run through her body at that time. She feels happy, yet saddened; excited, yet afraid about the chapter to come. But one thing she knows for sure is that she is finally free to find her own happiness.

The Power To Endure Late at night I toss and I turn as if in a storm

on the open sea.

I see the lightning in your eyes and hear the thunder in

your voice and I know that you call for me.

As our souls awaken with the antic.i.p.ation of

embracing the moment before its gone.

For I know you have walked for thousands of miles

and you have struggled for so long.

Though your struggles have been hard,

your battle scars they testify

to all the pain you have endured, which can be viewed

through unopened eyes.

Yet you ask not for sympathy, not even when

your days are long.

For in you is the power to endure and the

strength to carry on.

So Blessed Is The Smile So blessed is the smile of the woman, who for years has known the pain of being cheated on, the agony of being under appreciated, disrespected and belittled by a man she once loved and trusted.

So blessed is the smile of the woman, who for years put her heart and soul into a relationship and got nothing in return.

So blessed is the smile of the woman that has been forged by the fire and the many years of the lessons learned. So blessed is the smile of the woman, who one day stood up and said, Enough is enough! I deserve better than this! I deserve to be with someone who loves, respects, and adores me! I deserve my own happiness!

You see, its been some time now since she got up the courage to walk out and it hasnt been easy.

She spent some nights crying herself to sleep and other nights second guessing herself on whether or not she had done the right thing, but she never went back.

So I say,

So blessed is the smile of the strong woman because after all youve been through, youve finally found your own happiness and that smile represents the new you.

Lessons Learned The ones that are the hardest to get over are often the ones that teach you the greatest lesson.

For the ones you have loved, theyve shown you the infinite possibilities of happiness. As for the ones you have lost, theyve reminded you of the tremendous pains of heartbreak. To all of them, you say, Thank you. Its because of them that you now stand there the beautiful, strong, and independent woman that you are.

Forgive For Your Sake When you forgive, you dont do it for the other persons sake, you do it for your own sanity and peace of mind.

In the end, when you hold onto your anger, youre hurting no one but yourself. Meanwhile, they go about living their lives as they wish while your anger and resentment allow them to continue to ruin yours. You, in essence, have become the surrogate to all the pain, frustration, and heartache that they once caused you. Now, they dont need to do anything but sit back, enjoy their life, and watch you be miserable.

It doesnt have to be that way; you can take that power away from them simply by forgiving them and letting it go. Im not saying you have to forget, dont forget. Forgetting what theyve done would erase the memory and in the memory is where you find the lesson. However, forgiving removes the weight of the past from your shoulders and allows you to move forward without them. The past is what it is; you cant change it. What you can do is learn from it and use that to make better decisions in the future. Will it be easyno. Will you have your momentsyes, but over time, youll find peace in knowing they no longer have that power over you. Now, when you see them you can finally smile and say to yourself, Im finally free from you.

Never Feel Trapped You should never feel trapped in a relationship; you always have options. He may want you to feel as if you dont and that he is the only option available to you but hes not. The decision as to whether or not you stay or leave is yours to make and yours only. It may not be an easy choice, but it is still your choice to make; you have that power. You have the power to free yourself of the negativity and to find happiness. You have the power to live your life the way you choose, rather than as someone else dictates. You have the poweruse it.

CHAPTER.

Twelve.

TIME.

FOR YOU.

If you cant see the beauty of your life from where you are now, remove the obstacles in front of you and look again.

Help Yourself Sometimes, the only person who can help you is you.

Your friends can support you, they can cheer you on and be there for you, but in the end, you have to be the one to make the hard decisions and make the changes. No one can do that for you but you.

Do What Makes You Happy Ladiesfor just one moment, stop worrying about what everyone else thinks and do what makes you happy.

I realize that most of your time is spent tending to the wants and needs of your children, your career, and everyone else. You are constantly running, from before the sun rises until well after it sets, trying to hold all of the pieces to your lifes puzzle together. Ironically, somewhere through it all, you lose track of the most important pieceyou. Then, when you try to take time for yourself, you get grief for it and in some instances, you even get accused of being selfish. Interestingly enough, the ones that say you are being selfish are usually the ones you give all of your attention to. So, your question to them should be, Am I really being selfish or are you?