She’s the most incredible person I know. Tough yet graceful, determined yet carefree, an open book yet still a mystery to me. She is the kind of person that no matter how sad, angry, or upset she is, you would never be able to tell. She puts others feelings before hers, 11 out of 10 times. Whether you are her friend, family, or stranger, to her you are of the upmost importance. If you are lucky enough to be a friend of hers, you are the luckiest person in the world, and you probably know it too. She never lets you feel unloved or unimportant. In fact, if you ever did feel that way, she would be the first to get physically upset that someone the she loves and finds do special could think of themselves in such a way. And she will remind you every single day that you are a gift from God. She may not say it, but she will say a prayer for you without you knowing, text you to be safe when you go out, and remind you that you can do anything you put your mind to, even when it feels like you can’t because she knows you can. How is strength you may ask? Well, let me tell you a little something you may not know… when she’s reminding you that you are equally beautiful on the inside and out, she may not feel beautiful herself. When she is texting you to be safe when you go out, she would rather you stay in so she’s not up all night worrying about you. When she calls you when you’re sitting alone, bummed out about something to remind you that you can do anything you set your mind to, she feels like she failed because you don’t believe her. She the kind of woman who is as strong as she is graceful.

On the outside she is a ray of sunshine, a beam of light, a true American Dream, but on the inside she is sad sometimes, and feels unloved, or less beautiful than she should. She cries, for you, for strangers, and for herself somehow getting lost in the people she loves so much that she forgot that she matters too. She has seen death and continues to live. She has seen failure and continues to encourage. She has seen your tears and catches every drop before they can hit the ground, while she may stand in a puddle of her own. But a woman of this strength cannot be defeated. All she must do is look into the eyes of the one she loves and her strength grows. It thrives off of encouraging the ones she loves and being the woman she knew she was born to be.

A person like this is hard to come by, but when you do, be sure to recognize that. Be sure they know how truly strong they are because their weakness is thinking that they are losing their strength. In a cruel world like the one we live in being strong seems like the only choice we have, but in moments when we are grasping for air while slowly drowning within our own lives, she is the one whom not only becomes her own life raft, but also brings you to the shore with her to lift your spirits and ease your worries and fears.

I promise you that once you find this person, they will never leave. Even when you feel as though you are drifting away from them, they will never be as far as you think. She loves you and knows that no matter how much you say you don’t need her, she will always be there, your hidden strength.