.courage.

"Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear."

A person can be beaten down and broken, but eventually there comes a point where all the pain and turmoil turns into the strength you need to get up to brave the fire. Sometimes the very person who has broken you turns out to be someone who you'd thought would always protect you. This is when you realize that it's best to step out of the situation because you're better than all the drama and chaos chasing after you. When really you deserved to be chased by someone who loves you and will surrender their pride for you regardless of how big of a wall you put up or how stubborn you are. Someone who appreciates who you are to them and is eager to show the world how amazing you are, someone who will show up at your doorstep because your stubbornness ignored them, someone who sees the beauty you have from the inside out, someone who will fight to death for you to prove their love is real, someone who's afraid to lose your undying love. It takes courage to move past the fear of losing someone you thought you would love forever, but it's more important than the fear of unnecessary pain you may endure. So today I'm doing this.

Sara Evans - A Little Bit Stronger