My childhood is the crystal clover that hangs from my ceiling. The only remnant she left for me. It casts a long shadow across my walls, cuts my life into sections; her absence left my life tattered, broken. She left as quickly as she came, leaving nothing but a crystal clover to hang in my room. However, in the daytime, when beams of sunlight peek through my window and extend their long arms to grasp onto the clover’s smooth surface, extravagant flashes of greens and blues are sent dancing across my walls, as if the shadows had never existed. The memories become bright and beautiful, her presence lingers, her laughter seeping into the walls, filling up every inch of the room.

Though it has not been easy, I have learned to work towards the saying that “when life is sweet, say thank you and celebrate. And when life is bitter, say thank you and grow.” I am proud that I have allowed every event in my life to teach me something, to allow me to look back and learn. With this perspective, I have learned to adapt because change is the only constant element in my life. So while I would love to sit and pity myself for the pain I have endured, my time would be better spent by focusing on the simple joy of the life that I have and the growth that could occur because of that. “It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new […] for in movement there is life, and in change there is power.”