I, like so many, am no stranger to hardship.

I've grown up with my parents' divorce, my dad's out of control alcoholism, the death of my stepfather, transferring high schools, family drama, and bullying. Yet that's just the surface in my short 19 years of life.

I allowed my heart to become hardened. I was becoming someone I wasn't proud of. I had so much hatred for life and anger towards God. I didn't open myself up to love. And I was a worse person for it.

But at some point, I started realizing where I was going wrong. And I started seeing God's hand in my life, even in the bad times. I finally saw that it wasn't God that was punishing me for anything. My situation was simply my situation. Bad things happen in life. They happen to everyone and they're all out of our control.

But do bad things happen because God planned them that way? No. Not at all. That's not who God is. He was there to help me through all of the struggles in my life. He was there when every door was slammed shut in my face. He was there in every tear, holding my hand, right at my side through it all. Even if I didn't see Him with me.

So why am I saying this? Why am I writing a seemingly-cliche message about life?

Because every moment that has brought you to tears or tore your heart to pieces has helped lead you to who you are at this very moment. You are the result of every experience, good or bad. Everything is a blessing, regardless of how painful. Everything is a beautiful lesson, and until you start seeing it that way, you'll never know true happiness in your life. You'll never let go of the pain and you'll let it consume you.

Love your life the way it is, because there is so much to be thankful for.

And what are my blessings? Yes, I'm blessed with food on the table, a roof over my head, my education, and my family. But what are the most extraordinary blessings that God has given me?

My favorite moments are watching my best friends laugh- that's my favorite sound. I'm blessed with people who love me and are family to me, even though they aren't related to me by blood. I'm blessed with 'I love yous' and lots of hugs. My favorite feeling is cuddling with all three of my best friends after being separated for months. I'm blessed with the small moments when I can be vulnerable, be myself, and still be loved for it. I'm blessed with McDonald's runs and large Sprites in styrofoam cups. I'm blessed with every car jam session and opportunity to live out my youth. I'm blessed with fulfilling, loving, and shining relationships that will last a lifetime.

And looking back, I see even more blessings in my life.

I'm blessed with my parents' divorce. This gave me the strength to see that sometimes people aren't meant to be together. That time in my life showed me that my parents thought so much of me, that they'd rather show me two happy parents, rather than have me grow up under a broken and miserable marriage. And now I know what I want for myself. I know to not make the same mistakes as my parents and I know what I deserve, now more than ever.

I'm blessed with my dad's alcoholism because it gave me a better understanding of the world. it gave me compassion to see the struggles of other people and how to help them. It helped grow my heart into a giving one. It gave me the ability to see past people's faults and flaws. It showed me that every single person has their own burdens to carry and my father is no exception. He's a person who struggles every day, but has shown that you can overcome anything with God's help.

I'm blessed with understanding that my stepfather was an incredible person with so much more life to live. But the world is painful and now he no longer has to suffer from the cancer that took him away from us. He's finally free and truly in a better place, watching over my whole life even though we can't be together. He's with God now and nothing warms my heart more than that thought.

For the good and the bad, I am stronger. I am becoming the woman God created me to be because through everything the world threw my way, I survived. I got through every hardship and will continue to do so until the end of my life, because God never gave up on me. He helped me handle what I was given, not the other way around. And for that, I'm thankful.

Everything in life is truly a blessing. Even if you don't see it now, you will one day. You'll see how one heartbreak gave you a bigger and more open heart and how it led you to finding your future spouse. You'll see that the death of a loved one made you appreciate life so much more and how you see it even more in the way your baby falls asleep in your arms. Good will always come from the bad and it won't be for nothing that you experienced such pain.

One day, life will turn around. But the minute you change your outlook and appreciate what has been placed in your path, whether it's an obstacle or a bridge. Please don't give up and just know God is fighting for you. Always.