TwoCents | RESTORED - by Rosemary Adelani

She couldn't get it off her mind. The flashbacks were so exhausting. Tears streamed down her face as she sat alone, seeking solace only in the kindness of her caring classmates. Her family, once a source of comfort, now seemed to annoy her. She was tired of it all - the pain, the regret, and the feelings of rejection. She yearned for change, for a chance to start anew. No one could be trusted. She wished she had lived differently. She wished she was better. The weight of her past bore down on her, making it hard to breathe. Pain and regret swirled inside her, but she couldn't feel them. It was as if she was numb, frozen in a sea of emotions she couldn't understand. Her parents were reputable, respected members of their community. What would people say if they knew? The fear of judgment lingered, a constant reminder of her mistakes. Still, she didn't feel pain. Her feelings were a jumbled mess, complicated and confusing. In silence, she cried out to God, tears streaming down her face as she worshipped Him in her heart for not leaving her but seeing her through even when it seemed everyone else had given up on her. She found solace in her faith. She remembered how she had desperately sought love in all the wrong places, but had her heart shredded. How she wanted her parents to be there to guide her and go through her devices to keep her cautious, but her attitude pushed them away. She felt they really spent more time working than they cared about her. The memories still stung, but she knew she couldn't change the past. What she could change was her future. She was ready to help others, to use her experiences to guide them away from the same pitfalls. She surrounded herself with friends who cared, people who saw beyond her flaws and loved her for who she was, cautiously learning from every mistake and trying not to repeat them. Her family came around, slowly but surely. Things were different now. She was different. As she looked back on her journey, she realized that every step, every stumble and every scar had led her to this moment. She was no longer the same person who had been trapped in a cycle of self-doubt and pain. She was stronger, wiser and more compassionate. She had learned to forgive herself, to let go of the guilt and shame that had weighed her down for so long. She had learned to love herself, flaws and all, and to see her worth and value as a person. And she had learned to help others, to use her experiences to guide them through their own dark times. She had found a new sense of purpose, a new reason for being. Alas! She was closer to fulfillment, to a life of purpose and meaning. The journey had been long and arduous, but she had made it through. She was stronger, wiser and more compassionate. And for that, she was eternally grateful. As she walked forward into her new life, she knew that she would always carry the scars of her past with her. But she also knew that those scars would remind her of how far she had come, and of the strength and resilience that lay within her. She was no longer a victim of her circumstances. She was a survivor, a warrior, a woman of faith and courage. And she knew that no matter what lay ahead, she would face it with confidence, with hope and with the knowledge that she was loved, valued, and restored.

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