We wait for others to validate us, feeling that with their approval we are worthy.

So we seek permission and wait

to be ourselves, to air our truths, to be vulnerable.

We wait.

And when it never comes

We think something is wrong with us

That their lack of validation is proof we are not worthy.

So we shrink

the internal walls rumble

and we wonder why we are not Taller

Braver

Until one day it speaks

the shrunken voice

and it Becomes

with no other validation

than the only one that ever mattered

Yours

It speaks

And you realize

You actually are 

Brave.

The Certainty

which you now have

cannot be given

Or taken away.

Because it needs no companion.

Des souvenirs inoubliables 

Des amis dénombrables

Une connexion durable entre cette ville et mon coeur

Qui m’a changé pour le meilleur

Ne me quittera jamais

Aujourd’hui j'suis citoyenne du monde 

J’ai une mère, un père, un frère, et trois soeurs

Qui restent et m’attendent 

Là-bas

Où j'ai laissé

Mon université et ma chambre

Deux endroits qui m’ont donné l’espace pour m’améliorer

Entre des tasses de café et beaucoup de marche

Je t’ai dit au revoir

Mais tu m’as donné l’espoir

De revenir et revivre encore

Je reviens et je revis toujours.

   ~    ~    ~  

Unforgettable memories

Uncountable friends 

A lasting connection between that city and my heart 

That changed me for the better

Will never be broken

Today I am a citizen of the world

I have a mother, father, brother, and three sisters

Who remain and wait for me

There

Where I left 

My university and my room

Places that gave me the space to better myself 

Between cups of coffee and a lot of walking

I bid you good-bye 

But you gave me hope

Of returning and reliving again

I return and relive always.

Sometimes phones are capable of capturing images that leave you breathless.