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We Are Family

I grew up a very very shy child with a single mother on welfare and few friends (and don't worry, this is far from a poor me family). All I had was my mom, a much older sister and a handful of cousins that were in an out of my life and not really expected to go very far in life.

By high school, I managed to get enough confidence to make some friends but never got really close. I did manage to excel and the thought that I was going to be a "statistic" so to speak was starting to fade in some peoples minds.

Subconsciously I always figured out how to get out of my comfort zone and do things completely unlike a shy person. The big one was going 3000 miles away for college. That decision gradually gave me the confidence to succeed in ways no one thought was possible and I have managed to become the richest person in the world, not by the money I make but by the friends I now have in my adult life who treat me like family and visa versa. My mom, sister and now niece are still my lovable immediate family but I now also have some of the greatest friends in the world and I appreciate fully all that I have gone through and all the people and situations I have now that make life worth every moment. I feel people need more appreciation because even when times are bad, I know that there are people in my life that will help me get by. Life is always gonna get ya' but it's how you treat and appreciate what you have that pulls you through the rough patches.

Submitted by Alexys